New signings Rodriguez and Pieters may start for Burnley against Southampton

Posted Friday, August 09, 2019 by PA

Burnley boss Sean Dyche must decide which of his new signings to include for their Premier League opener against Southampton.

Midfielder Danny Drinkwater, signed on loan from Chelsea on Thursday, appears unlikely to feature given he has not played competitive football for a year but striker Jay Rodriguez and full-back Erik Pieters are in contention.

Defenders James Tarkowski and Kevin Long, who missed the final pre-season friendly against Parma, are fit but winger Robbie Brady (rib) and midfielder Steven Defour (calf) miss out.

Southampton’s two new signings, Che Adams and Moussa Djenepo, are in contention to make their debuts.

Former Birmingham striker Adams is a likely starter alongside Danny Ings, who made his loan from Liverpool a permanent switch over the summer.

Winger Djenepo only started training with his new team-mates last week following international duty with Mali, so he will probably be on the bench.

Provisional Burnley squad: Pope, Hart, Lowton, Taylor, Tarkowski, Mee, Gibson, Bardsley, Pieters, Long, Cork, Gudmundsson, Hendrick, Westwood, Drinkwater, McNeil, Lennon, Barnes, Wood, Rodriguez, Vydra, Peacock-Farrell.

Provisional Southampton squad: Gunn, Stephens, Bertrand, Bednarek, Valery, Vestergard, Yoshida, Romeu, Soares, Ward-Prowse, Redmond, Hojbjerg, Boufal, Long, Ings, Forster, Armstrong, Adams, Djenepo, Obafemi.