Defensive doubts for Burnley as Dyche labels Baggies 'bigger version' of Clarets

Sean Dyche has described Albion as a 'bigger version' of Burnley ahead of this weekend's match as he sweats on the fitness of his two centre-backs.

England international Michael Keane has a knock and Ben Mee, who missed last weekend’s trip to Crystal Palace, remains a doubt with a shin problem.

It means Keane may not finish the season as one of the Premier League’s ever-present players. The 24-year-old is one of just four outfield players, along with Bournemouth’s Steve Cook, Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson and Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta, to have played in each minute of their clubs’ Premier League fixtures so far.

James Tarkowski is in line to make just his second Premier League start and if both Keane and Mee are out, it will be alongside Kevin Long, whose top-flight experience amounts to just 20 minutes against Newcastle on New Year’s Day in 2015, when he tore his cruciate shortly after coming on.

“Keano has a knock, so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt,” Dyche said. “Ben Mee is close (to returning) but we’ll have to wait and see. We’ll certainly give him benefit of doubt.

“(Stephen) Ward’s done well, so I think he’ll be okay and George Boyd’s done well so I think he will be okay.”

Victory over the Baggies would ensure the Clarets’ Premier League status for next term after instant relegations following their previous two promotions. It would also lift them within shooting distance of Albion on 42 points.

A study conducted this week by analytics group CIES Football Observatory found the Baggies to be the best performing Premier League side based on a correlation between their points total and the transfer expenditure on this season’s squads, with Burnley third in the rankings.

And Dyche has been impressed by how the Baggies have established themselves.

“They’ve shown over many years they’re developing; they’re a bigger version of Burnley,” he said. “With all due respect to ourselves, I think West Brom are still a bigger concern. They had a head start in terms of their future planning.

“There was a time at the beginning of their journey where they put a lot of money in to get where they’ve got to. But on an ongoing basis, they’ve run it more like what seems quite a controlled business.

“We’re in the mix. Every club will have their own way of looking at how their business is done. This club’s got its own way and I play my part in that.

“It’s difficult sometimes, and it’s a massive challenge because we haven’t got everything that everyone else has got. But I don’t want to cry because on the other hand we’ve got a lot of good things that help teams and clubs be successful.

“We’re doing our version of what we think is appropriate to continue the club’s development as a whole.”