Tag: Burnley

Chelsea return to Premier League action on Sunday, as they head to Burnley. The Blues are fresh from a Europa League victory on Thursday night, but can they recover in time to claim all three points in this visit to Turf Moor? Maurizio Sarri’s side slipped away from the top of the table after a 2-2 draw with Manchester United last weekend, and they can ill-afford another slip with the fight for the top four looking incredibly tight.

The Blues approach the weekend as part of a top five which is separated by just two points. They have Arsenal on their tail, who have just won their 11th straight game. Meanwhile, Tottenham have made their best ever Premier League start, and that’s left them in fifth. Spurs tend to finish better than they start, so Sarri’s team can’t afford to let their form wobble. With the Europa League almost wrapped up until after Christmas, the Blues need to keep on top of things in the Premier League, starting with a return to winning way this weekend.

Team News: Hazard Racing Back for Turf Moor Clash

While he was unlikely to feature against BATE, the news that Eden Hazard was ruled out of the Europa League clash through injury was worrying. The Belgian got a break on Thursday, but he’s now in a race against time to be fit for this encounter. The Blues have been hugely reliant on Hazard all season.

The fact that Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s hat-trick on Thursday made him the joint second highest scorer in all competitions says a lot. The Belgian should return in time for Sunday’s game, especially with a chance to sit out again during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie. The big decision for Sarri comes in midfield, where Ross Barkley, Matteo Kovacic and Loftus-Cheek are pushing for one spot alongside Jorginho and N’Golo Kante.

The Clarets have had issues with goalkeepers all season, and last term’s regular between the sticks, Nick Pope, is ruled out. Joe Hart is set to start despite shipping five goals away at Man City on Saturday. The Clarets are likely to line up with a similar 4-4-1-1 system, having looked defensively solid, especially for a team who shipped five goals. The Clarets have a settled side and a hard-working group, so they’re unlikely to switch things up ahead of this clash.

Burnley Form

The Clarets are sat in 13th place in the Premier League, following a mixed campaign. They have failed to replicate their start from last season, but things seem to be picking up for them. The hosts were eliminated from the Europa League before the group stage, and many believed that their European adventure had an impact on their domestic form. However, things haven’t drastically improved since their exit to Olympiakos, and that leaves them vulnerable ahead of this clash. They didn’t improve in domestic cup action, losing in the Carabao Cup to League One Burton.

Burnley have just four points from four home games, and now they’re facing one of the Premier League’s top sides. The Blues head here with an unbeaten run stretching to 13 games across all competitions, 10 of which they’ve won. Meanwhile, the Clarets have lost over half of their league games so far, shipping close to two goals per outing in the Premier League.

Burnley vs Chelsea Head to Head

Chelsea won their visit to Turf Moor earlier this year, with Victor Moses hitting the winner in that trip to the Clarets. The Blues have claimed early season wins against Burnley twice in recent years, in 2014 and 2016. Both campaigns ended with the Blues being crowned champions. Meanwhile, last season’s struggles started with a loss at home to the Clarets, so this will be a good indicator of where the Blues stand.

• Burnley 1-2 Chelsea, April 2018
• Chelsea 2-3 Burnley, Aug 2017
• Burnley 1-1 Chelsea, Feb 2017
• Chelsea 3-0 Burnley, Aug 2016
• Chelsea 1-1 Burnley, Feb 2015

Betting Tips

• Over 2.5 Goals – 4/5 with bet365
• Chelsea and BTTS – 23/10 with Coral

The Blues are heavy favourites to win this trip, with BetVictor marking them out as the 1/3 favourites to take the points at Turf Moor. Meanwhile, the draw can be backed here at 19/5 with Betfred, and Burnley sit out at 17/2 with Ladbrokes to claim a surprise win. The hosts haven’t quite been up to last season’s standard, but those odds do seem big for a side who finished two spots behind the Blues in May. Having gone in very different directions in the new season, Sarri’s side are looking to come here and pile on to Burnley’s woes.

Chelsea have had defensive issues all season, and that showed in the goal they shipped to BATE. Sarri questioned the defensive ability of his midfielders after the Europa League game, a criticism which he extended to the ones who didn’t feature. They shipped two poor goals last Saturday, while Burnley have scored in four of their last five. The Blues have seen over 2.5 goals in all but one of their away league trips this season, and we think that odds of 4/5 with bet365 are generous for a repeat. With Hazard set to return, we’re backing a strong attacking display from the visitors.

Chelsea’s four Premier League trips to Turf Moor have seen both teams score, while just one of their last seven meetings overall has seen a clean sheet recorded. With that in mind, we see the Clarets grabbing a goal here, especially after the week the Chelsea backline have had. However, the Blues should beat a side who have lost five of their last eight in the Premier League, so we’re backing an away win. Chelsea to take the points and both teams to score is our final tip, at 23/10 with Coral.

Chelsea return to action on Thursday night, as they play their rearranged Premier League fixture from the coming weekend. The Blues are busy at Wembley on Sunday in the FA Cup semi-final, so they’re in league action against the Clarets this Thursday, with Sean Dyche’s side flying high in seventh, compared to the troubles of the visitors. Their differing fortunes kicked off when the two met at Stamford Bridge in the opening game of the campaign, with the Clarets winning 3-2 in that one. That victory kicked off a strong campaign which has put them in to the top seven, just two points off the top six.

While these two are on opposing sides on Thursday, their interests will align come the weekend. Although they are languishing in the bottom three in the Premier League, Southampton are actually the biggest danger to Burnley’s chances of making Europe. Should the Saints win the FA Cup, they’ll take a Europa League spot. However, a Chelsea win on Sunday would all but secure Europe for Sean Dyche and his men. Given that they sit nine points clear in seventh, the Turf Moor outfit can start looking forward to continental trips if the Blues book a cup final spot.

Team News: How Will Conte Prepare for Wembley

The looming prospect of the weekend’s semi-final will focus the minds at the Bridge, but it remains to be seen how that match will impact Thursday’s team. After moving within seven points of fourth at the weekend, Chelsea basically have to commit to chasing down the Champions League spots, despite that being a doomed cause. As a result, we expect to see the usual system and approach kept for the midweek game. While Victor Moses and Olivier Giroud started on the bench at the weekend, the pair are likely to step in to the first 11 for this clash.

Burnley have got a few long term absentees, with Ben Mee the latest on that list. Steven Defour, Jon Walters and Robbie Brady are all missing for this weekend’s clash, although recent form suggests that the Clarets are getting on regardless. The hosts have tended to start in a 4-4-2 formation this season, and they are likely to adopt that same approach here. Former Blue Jack Cork will take up a place in the middle for the home side, after playing every minute of the campaign so far.

Burnley Form

Burnley come into this clash in fantastic form, after winning their last five matches. They come here after some impressive results, which has pushed them in to European contention. That run of form culminated in the weekend victory against eighth placed Leicester, which put the Clarets nine points clear in the top seven with just five matches left to play. Can they extend that advantage with a victory over the Blues on Thursday night?

The hosts are middling in terms of home form, as they come into this clash with the ninth best home record in the division. They’ve won fewer than half of their home matches so far, claiming more points on the road than at home. The hosts have been successful on the road to the top sides, but they’ve not been able to translate that form into meetings with the big six at Turf Moor. While they’ve managed to win five on the bounce, most of those did come against out of form sides, which should serve to temper Sean Dyche’s optimism ahead of this clash.

Burnley v Chelsea Head to Head

Chelsea were upset in the last meeting between the two teams, but the Clarets have lost just one of four encounters. They’ll be confident going into the game, although the Blues have won two of their last three trips to Turf Moor in the Premier League. The Blues will be going all out to add to that good run this weekend, as they try to get some revenge for their opening day defeat at the Bridge.

• Chelsea 2-3 Burnley, Aug 2017
• Burnley 1-1 Chelsea, Feb 2017
• Chelsea 3-0 Burnley, Aug 2016
• Chelsea 1-1 Burnley, Feb 2015
• Burnley 1-3 Chelsea, Aug 2014

Betting Tips

• Both Teams to Score – Evens with Ladbrokes
• Chelsea and BTTS – 17/5 with Coral

Chelsea’s weekend victory sees them posted as the favourites in this one, as they’re priced up at evens with Betfred to win. The Clarets may be in fantastic form, but they sit out at 7/2 with BetVictor for the three points. Meanwhile, you can back the draw at 12/5 with Bet365, which could tempt many a punter. Will the Blues come out with a victory to take into their FA Cup semi this weekend, or will Burnley continue their push for European football?

Chelsea head here on the back of a 3-2 victory over the Saints, but if they’re to rotate anywhere ahead of the semi final it’s likely to be the defence. The issue for the visitors is that they’re now nine games without a clean sheet, conceding in their last seven trips across all competitions. Burnley are in great form, which has seen them pick up in front of goal. However, four of their last five matches have seen both teams score, and in the other West Ham wasted plenty of chances to draw a blank. As a result, we’re backing both teams to score at odds of evens with Ladbrokes.

On top of that, Burnley do have clear issues against top sides at home. They may have done well away to the top sides, but they’ve taken a single point in five home games with the top six. They’ve conceded in all of those games, while Man United, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal have all won here. With that in mind, we think an away win and both teams to score is a good bet here, which is priced at 17/5 with Coral.

Can Chelsea kick off their title defence with a victory over Burnley this weekend? Antonio Conte’s side have had an odd summer, despite adding a few big money signings. However, those players have been bought in to replace some big name departures, leaving the squad looking a little thin ahead of a tilt at four competitions. There’s more than a few similarities between this term and the 2015/16 season, when Jose Mourinho’s side fell apart after a lax summer. However, Conte is aware of that risk and the Italian is determined to avoid a similar fate.

Hosting Burnley is a relatively straightforward way to start the season, but we did say the same about Swansea two years ago. Could Burnley pull off one of the biggest shocks in their history? With survival being the goal for the Clarets once again, this game isn’t a real test for them in the relegation battle. However, they could do without a demoralising opening day loss to the champions.

Team News: Conte lacking options following Wembley loss

Chelsea were down to the bare bones for their clash with Arsenal in the Community Shield. Eden Hazard and Tiemoue Bakayoko remain out, while Diego Costa is still an outcast. Victor Moses was allowed to play in the curtain raiser because it was classified as a friendly, but he’s suspended here. That’s going to lead to a reshuffled backline, with Cesar Azpilicueta moving to right-wing back and Antonio Rudiger stepping into the back three.

Outside of that, Conte doesn’t have the room to make changes. He’d probably like more competition amongst his players, but right now he has a side which picks itself. That was a bonus last season, but it’s a big issue this time around.

Burnley boss Sean Dyche should keep the faith with the side that helped them to safety last season. That was a huge achievement for the club, and they’ve made a few understated signings after securing another year of Premier League TV revenue. They may introduce a few of their new signings to their side here, but we don’t expect them to be too different from the side which hosted the Blues at Turf Moor earlier this year. One doubt for the Clarets is Andre Gray, who is being linked with a big money move away from the club, possibly to high-spending Championship side Wolves.

Burnley Form

Sean Dyche has made some odd signings this summer, bringing in established Premier League names like Phil Bardsley and Jon Walters. He’s brought former Blue Jack Cork to Turf Moor, which seems like a solid signing. However, is that enough to keep them in the top flight? And can it help them pull off a result away to the champions this weekend?

Burnley’s survival last season was largely down to their excellent home form, their away results were awful. They were beaten in almost every away trip, though they just about got their act together late in the season. However, the pressure was off them by then, as their home results got them over the line. The worrying thing for Dyche is that they were safe with some time to spare last season, and then they limped to the finish line. Sides who do that usually have a tough start, and that’s something that the Clarets simply can’t afford.

Chelsea vs Burnley Head to Head

Given that this is the first time Burnley have kicked off a second consecutive Premier League season, meetings between the pair aren’t that regular. The Blues have been comfortable winners in most of their clashes, although the Clarets did put in a strong showing during their meeting at Turf Moor back in February. Will Conte’s side find this game as tough after their difficult summer?

• Burnley 1-1 Chelsea, Feb 2017
• Chelsea 3-0 Burnley, Aug 2016
• Chelsea 1-1 Burnley, Feb 2015
• Burnley 1-3 Chelsea, Aug 2014
• Chelsea 3-0 Burnley, Aug 2009

Betting Tips

• Chelsea to win and both teams to score – 21/10 with Ladbrokes
• Cesc Fabregas to score any time – 21/10 with Coral

Chelsea may not be having the best of times lately, but they’re still massive favourites to see off the Clarets at home. Sky Bet have priced them up at 1/4 for the victory at home, and we struggle to see the Blues failing to win this opening game. They should be able to get around the Clarets, but we don’t think it’s going to be an easy match. There could be a few goals in this one, and not all for the hosts. With a reorganised back line taking the pitch here, could the Blues slip up at the back?

While the 3-4-3 blew teams away last season, there were signs that it was being slightly figured out as they went along towards the end. Eight of the Blues’ last 10 home matches saw them concede, and they’re at risk of adding to that poor run here. Burnley were struggling for goals on the road in the first half of last season, but once they got started they were tough to stop. They scored in 10 of their last 12 matches on the road, but they still didn’t win too many of those. We see them scoring again, but like we said a Chelsea win seems inevitable. We’re backing a home win and BTTS at 21/10 with Ladbrokes.

Chelsea are missing most of their key goalscorers up front, so they’ll need someone to step up in this clash. Alvaro Morata doesn’t look match fit, and Michy Batshuayi is still unproven in the Premier League. Cesc Fabregas is going to be the big winner from this injury crisis, as he’s slotting into central midfield. He is going to need to use all his experience to help the team through the opening weeks, and we can see him providing a goal. He’s priced at 21/10 with Coral to score any time, which we think is worth backing.

Following their highly significant victory over Arsenal last weekend, can Chelsea continue their push for the title at Turf Moor this Sunday? Having put 12 points between themselves and the Gunners, they’ll be hoping to move even further clear this weekend, when they travel to face the Clarets. Elsewhere, second placed Tottenham face a trip to Anfield, which could see them slip further off the pace. There’s a chance that the league leaders could go even further clear with three points on Sunday, strengthening their hold at the top of the Premier League.

However, Burnley will have something to say about that. Few sides come to their ground and get a result, so the Blues are going to face a stern test to say the least. While the hosts are newly promoted to the top flight, they’re looking very good for survival, and that’s almost exclusively thanks to their form at home. They’ll relish the challenge of facing the best side in the league, so Antonio Conte’s men need to be at their best here to come away with the points. Will they record yet another victory, or could the leaders allow the chasing pack to close the gap?

Team News: Could Fabregas return after weekend impact?

Chelsea once again come here with a fully fit squad to pick from. With all options available, Conte is likely to go with his strongest line up, starting in a 3-4-3 once again. The only possible change is the introduction of Cesc Fabregas, who scored soon after coming on against Arsenal at the weekend. The midfielder impressed in his cameo, and he could have worked his way back in to the team for this weekend’s game.

The manager will have a choice between the former Barcelona man and Nemanja Matic, with one of them partnering N’Golo Kante. Elsewhere, we expect no changes to the side which started last weekend, as the boss continues his consistent team selection.

Burnley come into this one without their big summer signing Jeff Hendrick, who was sent off for an awful tackle at Watford last weekend. Sean Dyche is also without Dean Marney and Steven Defour in midfield, which leaves them a little short of options. Hendrick and Defour are two of their four usual starters in midfield, so they have a couple of holes to plug. Dyche tends to start with a 4-4-2 formation, which could cause his side problems here. Teams who start with four in midfield against Kante and co rarely come out on top.

Burnley Form

Burnley come into this game 12th in the table, and they’re now nine points clear of the relegation zone. It’s their best Premier League season so far, having been relegated in their previous two. While they could still go down this term, there’s a lot going for the Clarets at the moment. Their fantastic home record has been the foundation of their push for survival, and it’s something that Chelsea need to worry about this weekend.

Burnley have the third best home record in the Premier League. Only the top two, Chelsea and Spurs, have taken more points at their own grounds than the Clarets have on theirs. They’ve averaged 2.15 points per game at home this term, winning 69% of their home games. They’ve won their last seven at Turf Moor in all competitions, which makes this a very tricky test for the leaders. Can they continue that fantastic run when they host the side with the best away record in the league?

Burnley v Chelsea Head to Head

Chelsea have had mostly good results against Burnley of late. They won at Turf Moor in both 2010 and 2014, winning the league in both seasons. They’ll be hoping for a repeat of that on Sunday, especially as they’ve won their last three visits to this stadium, with their last defeat away to the Clarets coming back in 1973. Will we see a repeat of the routine 3-0 victory they recorded at Stamford Bridge earlier this season?

• Chelsea 3-0 Burnley, Aug 2016
• Chelsea 1-1 Burnley, Feb 2015
• Burnley 1-3 Chelsea, Aug 2014
• Burnley 1-2 Chelsea, Jan 2010
• Chelsea 3-0 Burnley, Aug 2009

Betting Tips

• Both teams to score – 11/10 with Coral
• Eden Hazard to score – 11/8 with Sky Bet

Chelsea are priced as the 2/5 favourites with Betfair, despite Burnley’s impressive record at home. Betfred make the draw 7/2, while you can get 8/1 on an eighth consecutive home win for Burnley with BetVictor.

The leaders are expected to continue their push for the title. The Blues aren’t far away, with 34 points the all-important number for them. That’s the combined total of points claimed for Chelsea and dropped by their nearest rivals, which guarantees them another title. Can they cut that number this weekend?

Given Burnley’s strong form at home, the visitors are going to face a difficult test. The Clarets have scored in 85% of their home games, including their last eight consecutive home league matches. The Blues have found the net in 83% of their away league games, so they should grab a goal when they visit Turf Moor. We’re backing both teams to find the net this weekend, which looks very well priced at 11/10 with Coral. Given the form of these two sides, goals seem more than likely here, which makes that a huge price.

We also see Eden Hazard getting on the scoresheet for the Blues, after his wonderful effort against Arsenal last time out. The Belgian has been fantastic all season, and we’re backing him to follow up his excellent display against the Gunners by grabbing a goal at Turf Moor. We’re going with him to score anytime against Burnley, which seems like good value at 11/8 with Sky Bet. Given that he’s already scored 10 goals in the league this season, he’s well priced to add to that total.