Preview: Burnley vs. Rochdale - prediction, team news, lineups

The Clarets are preparing for life in the Championship, having been relegated from the Premier League last term, while Rochdale finished 18th in League Two last season.

Match preview

Vincent Kompany's first taste as Burnley boss will come against Rochdale on Friday, with the two teams meeting in a behind-closed-doors at the Championship side's training ground.

The Clarets will then take on Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burton Albion on July 9, with different XIs set to take to the field for the contests at the Sir Jack Hayward Training Centre and Pirelli Stadium.

Kompany's side will be back in action against Shrewsbury Town on July 15 before heading to Portugal two days later, spending six days in Lisbon, with two matches set to be played, ahead of their first fixture of the 2022-23 Championship campaign away to Huddersfield Town on July 29.

Burnley finished 18th in the Premier League last season to drop down to the Championship for the first time since 2016, and they will be expected to challenge for an immediate return to the top flight.

The Clarets have brought in Luke McNally and Scott Twine from Oxford United and MK Dons respectively this summer, while Nick Pope, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, Aaron Lennon, Dale Stephens, Erik Pieters and Phil Bardsley have all departed.

Rochdale, meanwhile, finished 18th in League Two during the 2021-22 campaign, so they will spend at least one more season in the fourth tier of English football.

The Dale have five confirmed pre-season fixtures in the diary, following the clash with Burnley with a match against Chester, while they will also take on Darlington, Scunthorpe United and Port Vale before opening their 2022-23 campaign at home to Crewe Alexandra on July 30.

Rochdale will then travel to Gillingham in their second league match of the season before taking on Burton Albion in the first round of the League Cup on August 8.

Robbie Stockdale's side have released a number of players this summer, including Max Clark and Eoghan O'Connell, while Toumani Diagouraga, Richard O'Donnell, Ethan Ebanks-Landell and Cameron John have arrived on free transfers.

Burnley form (all competitions):

Rochdale form (all competitions):

Team News

Burnley will be without the services of Ashley Westwood, who is recovering from a serious ankle injury, while Matej Vydra is also still out with a long-term knee injury.

Wout Weghorst will also be missing, having been involved for the Netherlands during the UEFA Nations League, so the 29-year-old will be given extra time off.

There could be debuts for McNally and Twine on Friday, and Kompany will want to have a good look at his squad over the next couple of weeks, as he identifies the areas in need of strengthening.

As for Rochdale, Diagouraga, O'Donnell, Ebanks-Landell and John are all in line for debuts, while Devante Rodney could also represent the club for the first time.

Joshua Andrews and Tahvon Campbell could feature in the final third of the field, while there could be an opportunity to impress for 18-year-old winger Jordan Scanlon.

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Norris; Lowton, Long, Collins, McNally; Gudmundsson, Cork, Brownhill, Twine; Barnes, Rodriguez

Rochdale possible starting lineup:

O'Donnell; Ball, Dorsett, Ebanks-Landell, John; Rodney, Diagouraga, Kelly, Scanlon; Andrews, Campbell

We say: Burnley 2-0 Rochdale

It is difficult to know exactly what to expect in this match, as both managers will make wholesale changes throughout the contest. Burnley will be able to call upon superior players, though, and we are expecting the Championship outfit to have too much quality for their opponents in this contest.

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