All the statistics ahead of the game against Burnley at Turf Moor courtesy of those nice people at EA Sports.
Burnley v Southampton — Saturday 15:00
Burnley come into this game in good form having only lost one game in their last five, which was their last outing, a 2-0 defeat at Loftus Road to Queen’s Park Rangers. The Clarets will be hoping that they pick up their third victory in six games to see them climb out of the relegation zone.
At the back, Burnley will be looking to sure things up as it is vital that they maintain a solid defence to survive in the Premier League. One man who they will be relying on is Kieran Trippier, and in particular, his work rate. According to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, Trippier has covered a squad best 152.19km and should become the first Burnley player to pass the 100mile mark this weekend. Combining that work rate with his 33 tackles won and 27 interceptions means that Burnley can rely on their star defender.
In midfield, George Boyd epitomises the same hard-working philosophy, and is the only Premier League Player to cover over 13.2km in a game, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. He has done this on two separate occasions, covering 13.34km against Stoke and covering 13.24 km against Aston Villa. Burnley will need him to put in an equal shift this weekend to make sure of the points and will hope that he can find his third goals of the campaign. He is 23/4 to score anytime with 888sport.com.
The man who Burnley will rely on to make things tick is their hard-working centre midfield man, Scott Arfield. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he has also covered 151.01km so far this season, whilst winning 20 tackles and making seven interceptions. He has also grabbed an assist and will be hoping to add to that tally by upping his 220 passes completed in the opposition half.
Southampton find themselves in fifth place in the league in spite of a series of fixtures against Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United has seen them lose three in a row. In spite of this, the Saints will still come into the game with confidence as they still possess the best defensive record in the league.
Southampton will want to go back to what they did best early on in the season, and that means defending. They have managed to keep seven clean sheets in 15 games and the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index reveals that keeper Fraser Forster has played a vital role in that. The England international keeper has made 2.25 saves for every goal conceded, and will want to keep on making saves to get his first clean sheet in five.
Going forward, Southampton’s creative spark has come from Dusan Tadic, and the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index highlights the Serbian midfielder’s prowess. Tadic has managed to score once this season, but it is his seven assists that most impress. He has put a squad best 116 crosses into the box and has completed 298 passes in the opposition half. If he keeps getting into threatening areas on the weekend, he will continue to wreak havoc with opposition defences.
Up top, Graziano Pelle has continued his phenomenal start to life in England, by netting his seventh goal of the season on Monday against Manchester United. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index reveals that the Italian striker has average a goal every 191.4 minutes, scoring with one in every 2.7 shots that hit the target. He is 23/20 to score anytime with 888sport.com.
Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars at fantasy.premierleague.com or with FIFA Ultimate team.