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Preview: Burnley vs. Chelsea - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Premier League clash between Burnley and Chelsea, including team news and predicted lineups.

Burnley will aspire to win their first Premier League game of the season at the sixth attempt when they welcome Chelsea to Turf Moor for Saturday's fixture.

The Blues do not have much to boast about domestically either, but Frank Lampard's men eased to a 4-0 victory over FC Krasnodar in the Champions League on Wednesday.


Match preview

Burnley manager Sean Dyche pictured on October 19, 2020© Reuters

With an out-of-form Burnley welcoming Chelsea to the North West on Halloween, the Clarets will be hoping to avoid another horror show following a truly dismal set of results in the 2020-21 campaign.

Sean Dyche's defensive stalwarts have forged a reputation as one of the most difficult backlines to break down in recent times, but the Clarets have already shipped nine goals in the league this season and sit on just one point following four losses and a draw thus far.

Saturday's fixture represents the second of two daunting home matches against capital sides in succession, with Dyche's men becoming the next victims of the Harry Kane / Son Heung-min partnership against Tottenham Hotspur as the Clarets succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Jose Mourinho's side last weekend.

Even though Burnley currently find themselves below the dotted line heading into the weekend, there is no reason for the Clarets to become disheartened by results so early on in the season, but Dyche's men would do extremely well to turn their fortunes around against a Chelsea side desperate to get back on track following two domestic draws on the bounce.

Chelsea's Timo Werner celebrates scoring against Krasnodar in the Champions League on October 28, 2020© Reuters

Huge expectations were placed on Chelsea's formidable attacking contingent following a busy summer of spending, and the Blues frontline certainly combined well to put four past Krasnodar in Wednesday's Champions League fixture.

Hakim Ziyech marked his full debut for Lampard's side with a goal to cap off an impressive performance, with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic completing the rout as Chelsea ended a run of three consecutive draws in Russia.

Chelsea's dominant victory in Europe means that Lampard's men are enjoying a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions, although the Blues boast just one win from their last five Premier League outings following back-to-back draws against Southampton and Manchester United in October.

Had it not been for a spirited performance from Edouard Mendy in between the sticks, United could have very well taken the spoils at Old Trafford in last Saturday's fixture, but Chelsea nevertheless managed to hold on for a point and will certainly feel confident of picking up all three against a struggling Burnley outfit this weekend.

Furthermore, Chelsea have only ever lost once in 12 Premier League meetings with Burnley, and Chelsea came up trumps in a six-goal thriller by four goals to two in this fixture last season, with Pulisic netting a hat-trick on that day.

Burnley Premier League form: LLLDL
Burnley form (all competitions): WLLLDL

Chelsea Premier League form: WLDWDD
Chelsea form (all competitions): LWDDDW



Team News

Thiago Silva in EFL Cup action for Chelsea against Barnsley on September 23, 2020© Reuters

Burnley are still without the services of the injured Jack Cork and Ben Mee, both of whom will likely remain sidelined until after the international break.

Phil Bardsley's positive coronavirus test kept him out of the loss to Spurs and he is set to miss out again this weekend, while Erik Pieters is touch and go with a calf problem.

However, Dyche could very well stick with the same starting lineup from the weekend defeat, with Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood set to form a partnership up top despite pressure from Matej Vydra and Jay Rodriguez, but the Clarets manager has revealed that Johann Berg Gudmundsson is doubtful with a calf issue.

Meanwhile, Chelsea's only two injury concerns are Kepa Arrizabalaga and Billy Gilmour - neither of whom would have been likely to force their way into the starting lineup.

Thiago Silva did not make the trip to Krasnodar in midweek, but Lampard confirmed that the defender's absence was not injury-related and Silva should come back into the first XI here.

Saturday could be the day that we see Chelsea's attacking quartet of Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Pulisic and Werner all line up together for the first time.

Burnley possible starting lineup:
Pope; Lowton, Long, Tarkowski, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil; Wood, Barnes

Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Mendy; James, Zouma, Silva, Chilwell; Kante, Jorginho; Ziyech, Havertz, Pulisic; Werner


SM words green background

We say: Burnley 1-3 Chelsea

Burnley must start improving their results soon lest they risk becoming early candidates for the drop, but there are certainly not expected to do so against a talented Chelsea side brimming with confidence following a vital Champions League win, and we can only see the Blues coming away with all three points on Saturday.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Away Win:data


Video prediction

Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:


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Who will win Saturday's Premier League clash between Burnley and Chelsea?

Burnley
Draw
Chelsea
Burnley
0.0%
Draw
0.0%
Chelsea
0.0%
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Burnley's Ashley Barnes celebrates scoring their first goal on November 9, 2019
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