Opposition Lowdown: Scott Parker’s Burnley

Reading’s FA Cup campaign continues this weekend with a third-round tie at home to Championship Burnley. Join us as we take a closer look at the opposition. 

Form

Burnley were relegated from the Premier League last season after finishing in 19th place, eight points away from safety. They had secured promotion back to the top flight the season before, after finishing as league champions on 101 points.

The Clarets are right in the hunt to return to the Premier League, currently sitting in second place in the league, one point behind first-placed Leeds United. They are in strong form and are currently on a 13-match unbeaten run, with their last loss coming against Millwall at the start of November.

They come into this weekend’s game off the back of a 0-1 away win to arch rivals Blackburn Rovers, with Zian Flemming scoring the winner.

The two sides last faced each other in the Championship during the 2022/23 season. The Clarets beat the Royals 2-1 at Turf Moor, with Anass Zaroury scoring a 94th-minute winner, before the two sides played out a 0-0 draw at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

The boss

Scott Parker: Parker was appointed Burnley manager this summer, taking over from Vincent Kompany, who became head coach at Bayern Munich.

Parker had a 20-year career as a player, representing the likes of Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham. Known as a tough-tackling midfielder, he also has 18 England caps to his name.

After playing, he returned to former club Tottenham to coach their under-18 side, before joining Slaviska Jokanovic’s coaching team at Fulham. He became caretaker manager in 2019 before being offered the role permanently following the club’s relegation.

Parker guided the Cottagers back to the top flight at the first attempt, beating West London rivals Brentford in the playoff final. He left Fulham at the end of the season, following their relegation back to the second tier.

He immediately joined Bournemouth and guided the Cherries back to the Premier League at the first attempt, finishing second in the Championship. Parker left Bournemouth at the end of August the following season and went on to have a spell in Belgium with Club Brugge in 2022, however he was sacked three months later.

Parker has had a strong start to his Burnley career, guiding the Clarets to second place in the league, only losing three of his 27 games in charge. The 44-year-old likes his sides to play possession-based football, playing the ball out from defence.

Team news

Forward Ashely Barnes re-signed for Burnley last week on a free transfer, having left Championship rivals Norwich Cityt. They have also recently signed right-back Oliver Sonne from Danish side Silkeborg.

Winger Nathan Redmond and Manuel Benson are back in training but this weekend’s game may come too soon for them both.

Predicted lineup

Hladky, Sonne, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Humphreys, Cullen, Laurent, Brownhill, Koleosho, Foster, Barnes

Key player

Josh Brownhill: Midfielder Brownhill joined Burnley in 2020, moving from Bristol City for an undisclosed fee.

Brownhill started his career in the youth setup at Manchester United before joining Preston North End’s academy. He signed his first pro deal at Preston and made his professional debut in 2013. Brownhill made 64 appearances for Preston while also spending time on loan at Barnsley.

He went on to join Bristol City on a permanent deal in 2016, following the end of his contract at Preston. The 29-year-old spent three and a half years with the Robins, making 161 appearances, scoring 17 goals.

Since joining Burnley, Brownhill has made a further 193 appearances, scoring 23 goals, with nine of those coming this season, making him the club’s top goalscorer.

A centre-midfielder by trade, Brownhill can also play in the number 10 role or out wide. He is a strong finisher who likes to strike from distance.

One to watch

Bashir Humphreys: Defender Humphreys joined Burnley this summer on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea.

He started his youth career in the academy at Reading but joined the Chelsea youth setup in 2017 and turned professional with the Blues in 2019.

The 21-year-old made his debut for Chelsea in an FA Cup game against Man City in 2023 and has gained more first-team experience during loan spells with SC Paderborn and Swansea prior to his move to Lancashire. Humphreys made 26 appearances for Swansea City while on loan in Wales last season.

He has become a first-team regular at the Clarets, making 21 appearances for the club so far this season. He also has 29 England youth appearances under his belt, with five of those coming in the under-21 side.

Humphreys is a a versatile defender who has been predominantly being playing at left-back, but he can also play as a centre-back or right-back.