Vincent Kompany’s side were due to take on Luton Town on Saturday, August 19, a week on from their season opener against reigning champions Manchester City.
But owing to the continued ground works at Kenilworth Road, the Hatters could offer no guarantees to the Premier League that the redevelopment would not impact the scheduling of the match at late notice.
As a result, Burnley’s first away game of the campaign has been postponed and will need to be rescheduled for a later date – leaving Kompany’s men with a free weekend only a week into the new season.
In some ways, the news didn’t come as a great surprise given the sheer volume of work required to get Luton’s ground up to speed at an estimated price of £13m. But it still leaves Burnley with something of a headache.
It’s far from ideal, but perhaps there could be some advantages? Here, we take a look at some of the pros and cons:
Given Burnley are playing the reigning champions Manchester City in their season opener, the trip to Luton was seen as a far more winnable game for Kompany and his charges. But given the buzz around Luton following their play-off final triumph, which ended the Hatters’ 31-year absence from the top flight, going to Kenilworth Road and winning would have been far from easy. Burnley would have been confident, of course they would, but they’d also be entering the lion’s den. Perhaps facing Rob Edwards’ side later in the season when their momentum might have died down a little might just suit Burnley.
Given Burnley are playing the reigning champions Manchester City in their season opener, the trip to Luton was seen as a far more winnable game for Kompany and his charges. But given the buzz around Luton following their play-off final triumph, which ended the Hatters’ 31-year absence from the top flight, going to Kenilworth Road and winning would have been far from easy. Burnley would have been confident, of course they would, but they’d also be entering the lion’s den. Perhaps facing Rob Edwards’ side later in the season when their momentum might have died down a little might just suit Burnley.
