Burnley v Newcastle - Tight encounter expected at Turf Moor

PREMIER LEAGUE expert Daniel McCulloch (@danmcc84) delivers his best bets from Monday Night Football as Burnley host Newcastle.

Burnley v Newcastle | Monday 30th October 2017, 20:00 | Sky Sports

It's fair to say that the schedulers have not enjoyed a good weekend where live Premier League matches are concerned; the highly anticipated game between Manchester United and Tottenham was little more than a damp squib and the games at Bournemouth, Brighton and Leicester were never going to whet the appetite of too many neutrals.

Burnley v Newcastle concludes this weekend's fixtures and it's hard to foresee a classic at Turf Moor on Monday evening. Both sides should be pleased with their start to the season, with Burnley in particular managing some eye-catching results.

Sean Dyche's side is built on solid foundations, with the centre-half partnership of James Tarkowski and Ben Mee gaining rave reviews for their displays so far this term.

Incredibly, despite having already faced trips to Stamford Bridge, White Hart Lane, Goodison Park, Anfield and The Etihad, Burnley have only conceded nine goals this season and find themselves 10th in the table, which surely surpasses all expectations. Despite losing their first two games of the season,

Newcastle will also be delighted with their current position. They have one more point than their opponents and also have an excellent defensive record, conceding just eight goals in their opening nine games.

Defences on top

Given the defensive prowess of both sides it really is hard to see many goals being scored this evening and it is no surprise that you can get greater than 6/4 on three goals or more.

At the advertised outright prices, if pushed I would side with Burnley. Whilst their performance data is not great, they have been outperforming that for a few seasons now and I believe that they win this game more often than odds of 23/10 suggest.

However, in what I believe will be a tight encounter, I would rather side with Under 1.5 Goals at 9/5 with Boylesports.

Between them eight of their 18 league games this season have featured one goal or fewer and I believe that whomever scores first is more likely to try to protect rather than build on their lead. I am also not sure if either side has the creativity to break down a resolute opponent.

I wouldn't put anyone off the 8/13 on Under 2.5 Goals but I will choose the more aggressive play on this occasion.