Burnley v Crawley Town preview: Reds looking to cause another Carabao Cup shock

It’s the first meeting between the two sides with Crawley making the long trek to Turf Moor. Burnley boss Vincent Kompany would have been disappointed to see his side’s 17 game unbeaten run come to an end at the weekend with a heavy 5-2 defeat at Sheffield United.

It was an off day for The Clarets who have been sensational so far this season, who have played a very impressive brand of football. Much changed at Burnley over the summer when Vincent Kompany took over, most notably the style of play.

The long ball side Burnley became associated with in the Premier League under Sean Dyche is not to be seen anymore. Kompany’s side have the highest average possession in the championship and are the league's top scorers, with 37 goals scored in just 20 games.

A possession based attacking style of play has certainly made Burnley catch the eye of many and if it continues, they’ll surely make an instant return to English footballs top tier. With a huge game coming up against local rivals Blackburn, Kompany may decide to give his players a rest in midweek and play some fringe players against Crawley.

The Red Devils are a potential banana skin for Burnley though, as they’ve already knocked out two teams from divisions above them. In round one Tom Nichols’ goal gave Crawley a 1-0 win over Bristol Rovers and he was on the score sheet again in round two, alongside James Balagizi in a famous 2-0 win over Fulham.

SEE ALSO Crawley Town defender eager to replicate past giant killings ahead of Carabao Cup clash with Burnley

It’s once again a free hit for Lewis Young’s side but they’ll need to improve following their 4-1 defeat to Accrington or they could face an even bigger beating. The Reds come into the game as huge underdogs but we’ve seen them do it before and they’ll be looking to cause a shock once again.