Brentford return to Premier League action against Burnley on Saturday and they must be wary of Clarets forward Lyle Foster, says The Athletic’s Andy Jones.

A January 2023 signing from Belgian side Westerlo, Foster has quickly become the focal point of Vincent Kompany’s attack, scoring three goals in six league outings this season.

Burnley went into the October international break 18th in the Premier League table. What have you made of their return to the top flight?

It has been interesting because there were high hopes given the way last season went in the Championship and the way they had been playing under Vincent Kompany.

There was hope that Burnley would maybe surprise a few, but that has not necessarily been the case so far, which has brought everyone back down to Earth.

I think that was expected internally, but the fixture list has not helped; they have played five of the top eight from last season and Chelsea so far.

They have lost five on the bounce at Turf Moor, which is not ideal because, for promoted sides, that is where you want to pick up your points.

Equally, drawing with Nottingham Forest and getting the first win on the board against Luton shows they can compete in the league.

They might not be able to compete with the top teams yet, but they have got a very young squad and a lot of it is based on development, potential and what they could become. These growing pains were expected.

Ideally, they would not be losing the games in the fashion they have lost some of the games, but the fact they have picked up points away from home shows there is potential to grow when the fixture list eases - if it eases in the Premier League at all!

On the road, in all competitions, they have won three, drawn one and lost one. Do you think it is simply because they’ve had that tough run of fixtures that things haven’t been going so well at Turf Moor?

The fixtures definitely play into it. I do not think that is the whole reason, because promoted sides can come up and make these games a lot more difficult than Burnley have. They have been able to put 30/45-minute performances together, but have been unable to complete a 90-minute performance.

The 1-0 defeat to Manchester United last month was probably the closest they have got to that and they were undone by a moment of brilliance, really.

The issue defensively is that they have been a bit naïve and that is not really a surprise when you look at the make-up of the squad and how young they are, but also not having the Premier League nous and know-how, so, at times, they have been masters of their own downfall.

There have been signs of improvement, but Chelsea was a bit of a reality check. Even in that game, though, for 35 minutes, it was a really solid performance.

The issues have mainly been defensive this season and it has been a case of trying to find a foundation to build on.

Vincent Kompany’s side have been written off by some already, but this club has been the underdog many times before. Is that tag something they can use as fuel to drive them forward?

I think they can, yes. They always were underdogs when they were in the Premier League previously and, while they came up after dominating the Championship, I do not think anyone was under the impression they were going to come in and find it comfortable.

Burnley have gone for a young team packed full of talent and potential that is not quite polished and I think the hope, internally, is that as the season progresses and they gain more experience, they will be able to start polishing up these players and they will be able to surprise more teams with the steps they have made.

They have got a lot of quality, it is just about getting the quality to play together and be consistent for 90 minutes.

When Kompany spoke to the fans at the end of last season, he urged them to believe in his team. It was an ‘us against everyone else’ type thing; there were going to be doubters again this season and it was up to them to prove them wrong.

That is the mentality they have got, it is just important that, because of the setbacks they have had, they keep that mentality. Kompany will ensure that message remains the same.

Which player should Brentford fans be keeping an eye on at Gtech Community Stadium?

Burnley have got quite a few flair players who are capable of really good moments but, if I were to pick one, it would be Lyle Foster, who is very much the focal point of Burnley’s attack.

They signed him in January and it took him a while to adapt to English football. There were question marks about why the club spent an initial fee of £8 million on him because he did not look like much of an upgrade, but he worked really hard in the off-season and pre-season and has come back a different player, who looks so well suited to Premier League football.

He is a typical all-round striker in that he has got the pace to run in behind and has really good movement, but can also do the dirty work in terms of pressing, dropping into pockets, and holding the ball up and battling with defenders to get Burnley up the pitch.

Realistically, he is their best goal threat and, when they went without him in the games against Manchester United and Newcastle, they lacked that focal point and were unable to create loads of chances in the way that he would have helped them to do.

How is Kompany likely to set up in west London?

This is a good question because he likes to throw a surprise in now and again. For the Chelsea game, he chose to bring in Mike Tresor and Wilson Odobert for their first starts in the Premier League, which was a bit of a shock.

There will usually be one or two changes each week as he rarely names an unchanged team, but it will be a 4-3-3 set-up, with a likely midfield of Josh Cullen, Josh Brownhill and Sander Berge, and Foster being the point of attack.

What Burnley like to do is play with inverted full-backs, though not as much this season as last because of not having as much possession - but, when they can do it, they do.

Kompany is a tactical thinker and, often, we will not know exactly what they are doing until they kick off.

Brentford and Burnley have one win each from their two Premier League meetings to date. What’s your score prediction?

I am going to be positive from a Burnley perspective and go for a 1-1 draw because I think both teams need the win as much as each other.