Burnley’s European adventure could be coming to an end sooner rather than later
Sean Dyche was rightly praised last season for securing a place in the Europa League for his Burnley side, a spot which was confirmed when the Clarets finished the season in seventh place, just nine points off Arsenal in sixth.
Burnley’s first Europa League qualification tie of the 2018/19 season came against Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen. They defeated the Dons 4-2 on aggregate.
Next up was Turkish Super Lig upstarts Istanbul Basaksehir in the second qualifying round of the competition, a tie which saw them win by one goal on aggregate.
On Thursday night though they faced a far more imposing figure in the form of Greek giants and Champions League regulars Olympiakos.
Facing the 44-time Greek champions in Athens, Dyche’s side fell to a 3-1 defeat, a loss exacerbated by the sending off of new signing Ben Gibson, who recently joined the club from Championship side Middlesbrough.
The defeat leaves Burnley with a major mountain to climb in the second leg, and means that an away goal from Olympiakos next week will require at least three in response from the Premier League outfit.
If they fail to do that, Dyche’s side will have to be content with playing their matches on British soil for the foreseeable future.
