Prediction: Burnley vs Chelsea

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 3/4

Bookmaker: Betfair

Chelsea will be looking to continue their winning streak with a third successive triumph in all competitions, while Burnley will hope to build on their recent victory over Luton Town and climb up the Premier League table, when the two teams meet at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon.

Burnley

Burnley’s return to the Premier League hasn’t exactly gone as well as they’d have hoped it would, highlighting once again the ever-widening gap between the top two tiers of English football. The Clarets won the Championship convincingly last season, but now, after seven rounds in the Premier League, they find themselves in the relegation zone, sitting 18th with just four points.

The Clarets opened the league campaign in a most inglorious way – by losing three matches at home straight, to Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur. Then they earned their first point away to Nottingham Forest, before losing again at home, this time to Manchester United. Their fifth defeat came away to Newcastle, before they finally booked their first triumph, away to Luton Town last week.

Lyle Foster opened the scoring in the final seconds of the first half, and for a short minute it seemed Vincent Kompany’s men would suffer another disappointment when Elijah Adebayo equalized for the hosts in the 84th minute. However, they restored their lead straight away through Jacob Bruun Larsen, and 1-2 ended up as the final scoreline.

Meanwhile, Burnley have booked a place in the round of 16 of the Carabao Cup, knocking out Nottingham Forest in the second and Salford City in the third round. Their next opponent in this competition is Everton, managed by their former boss Sean Dyche.

Team News

Michael Obafemi, Nathan Redmond, Darko Churlinov, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Manuel Benson and Hjalmar Ekdal are all expected to miss the Chelsea encounter through various issues. Six players out of action is obviously a problem Kompany will have to deal with, and he’s not expected to make changes in his starting XI from the Luton game.

Nonetheless, Bruun Larsen will be hopeful of getting a place in the team after his winning goal at Kenilworth Road.

Chelsea

Speaking of a season not going as well as expected, Chelsea are the team that personify that situation the strongest. Having failed to qualify for Europe, it would’ve been expected that Mauricio Pochettino’s team would have an advantage over their Premier League rivals this term, but it simply hasn’t proven the case.

As things stand, the Blues are 11th with eight points, the same as Nottingham Forest and Fulham directly below, which is surprising given the difference in the market values of their respective squads.

Chelsea started well enough, unlucky to get just a point at home against Liverpool in the opening round, but they were also held to a draw by Bournemouth at the Vitality, and they were beaten away to West Ham, at home by Nottingham Forest, and at home by Aston Villa. On the other hand, their 0-2 victory away to Fulham last week was their second triumph, after they hammered Luton Town at home back in August.

Pochettino’s men have also booked a place in the Carabao Cup round of 16, beating AFC Wimbledon and Brighton on their way there, and now they’re set to battle it out with Blackburn Rovers.

Team News

Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Marcus Bettinelli are out for this match, but Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemeka will undergo assessments to determine if they’re ready or not.

Chelsea captain Reece James would perhaps be back from injury, but he’s suspended for this game for improper conduct, as is his understudy Malo Gusto for the straight red card he received against Aston Villa. It means left-back Marc Cucurella is set to deputize on the right defensive flank again, while Levi Colwill keeps his place on the left.

Conclusion

This is a very important match for both sides, but probably more so for Chelsea who would certainly take heart for the upcoming challenges if they pull a third win on the trot in all competitions.

Burnley surely won’t make it easy for the two-time European champions, but the visitors remain the favourites to win.

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 3/4

Bookmaker: Betfair