Hjalmar Ekdal
27-Year-Old
Burnley
Premier
Makes starting XI
Ekdal is in the starting squad for Saturday's clash against Brighton, the club posted.
ANALYSIS
Ekdal is back in the starting XI for Saturday's clash against Brighton, marking his first EPL start for the Clarets since Jan. 3 when he also faced the Seagulls in Premier League action. The defender had recently slipped out of the lineup after previously locking down a regular role earlier in the season, having started 13 of his 15 appearances before losing his spot in recent months. Across that stretch, he still delivered solid defensive production with 19 tackles, nine interceptions and 96 clearances, showing the kind of reliability and physical presence that keeps him firmly in the mix when called upon.
Ekdal is back in the starting XI for Saturday's clash against Brighton, marking his first EPL start for the Clarets since Jan. 3 when he also faced the Seagulls in Premier League action. The defender had recently slipped out of the lineup after previously locking down a regular role earlier in the season, having started 13 of his 15 appearances before losing his spot in recent months. Across that stretch, he still delivered solid defensive production with 19 tackles, nine interceptions and 96 clearances, showing the kind of reliability and physical presence that keeps him firmly in the mix when called upon.
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Solid showing in defeat
Ekdal registered four tackles (three won), 12 clearances and one interception in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
ANALYSIS
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On bench Saturday
Ekdal (eye) is on the bench for Saturday's clash against West Ham United.
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Dealt black eye, expected to be fine
Ekdal suffered a cut and a black eye that required stitches, but is still expected to play Saturday against West Ham, according to manager Scott Parker, per Matt Scrafton of the Burnley Express. "We had a little incident [Wednesday] with Hjalmar, but he should be fine. He just got a bit of a black eye in training, but other than that, everyone is fit. It's a pretty nasty one at the present time. Hopefully the swelling goes down, but he's had a couple of stitches in there."
ANALYSIS
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Misses due to tactical reasons
Ekdal missed Sunday's 2-1 loss against Aston Villa due to tactical reasons, coach Scott Parker confirmed in a press conference, according to Burnley Express. "Yeah, he's fine. It was just more tactical at this moment. These are not easy decisions you have to make as a coach sometimes. I have to make a decision on the dynamics of the game and who I may need or who I may not need from the bench."
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Missing Sunday
Ekdal was absent from Sunday's 2-1 loss to Aston Villa due to undisclosed reasons.
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