The EFL Cup will not be regarded as a priority for Burnley this season, but Tuesday’s match will be a welcome break from Premier League action, with the Clarets struggling to pick up results in the opening weeks.
Indeed, a record of one draw and four defeats from five matches has left Sean Dyche’s side with a single point, and they occupy 19th position in the table, with Norwich City the only side to perform worse this term.
Burnley picked up a draw against Leeds United before the international break but have lost their last two Premier League fixtures, going down 3-1 at Everton on September 13 before suffering a 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Saturday.
Dyche’s team beat Newcastle United on penalties in the second round of this season’s EFL Cup to advance to round three, and they now have a brilliant chance to secure a spot in the fourth round.
Burnley famously lifted the FA Cup in 1913-14 but have never won the League Cup, and it is difficult to imagine the club taking the competition too seriously this term, particularly considering their struggles in the early stages of the campaign, with a huge league clash at home to fellow strugglers Norwich on the horizon.
Rochdale, meanwhile, will enter Tuesday’s contest off the back of a 1-1 draw with Mansfield Town in League Two on Saturday, which has left them in eighth position in the table.
A return of 12 points from eight matches represents a solid start to the season, and the Dale are unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions, recording five victories in the process.
Robbie Stockdale’s side, who were relegated from League One last term, recorded a 2-0 victory over Shrewsbury Town in the second round of this season’s EFL Cup, with Jake Beesley and Danny Cashman on the scoresheet.https://be4db3e4f113a2ebee38d2eab05fe2e4.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html?n=0
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Rochdale will view next weekend’s league clash against Oldham Athletic as more important than this game, but the chance to claim a Premier League scalp in a major cup competition does not come around too often.
The fixture will be the first meeting between the two sides since December 1993, when Burnley recorded a 4-1 victory in the FA Cup, while Rochdale have not overcome the Clarets since September 1991
