Burnley vs. Chelsea preview: Prediction, team information, and lineups

On Saturday afternoon, Chelsea will play Burnley in the Premier League at Turf Moor with the goal of earning their third straight victory overall.

The Clarets, meanwhile, are in a good mood after winning 2-1 at Luton Town on Tuesday to earn their first three points of the new campaign.

Match Preview 

Burnley has taken its time adjusting to life back in the Premier League after cruising to the Championship title last season and earning promotion at the first attempt after amassing a whopping 101 points.

However, they managed to win their first match against fellow newcomers Luton after seven attempts.

Lyle Foster’s first-half goal for the Hatters was cancelled out by Elijah Adebayo’s equalizer for the Clarets in the 84th minute.
However, the visitors’ lead was quickly restored by Jacob Bruun Larsen’s spectacular strike into the top corner just a minute later.

The Clarets currently sit 18th in the Premier League table, level on points with both Luton and Everton just outside the relegation zone.
Vincent Kompany praised his team’s never-say-die attitude on the way to snatching three crucial points, and the Belgian manager will hope that their first win can act as a springboard for positive change in their quest to avoid the drop.

Burnley will undoubtedly move in the right direction if they can improve their home performance.

They have lost their first four home games this season, a feat only accomplished by four teams in the history of the top flight: Manchester United (1930–31), Portsmouth (2009–10), Bolton Wanderers (2011–12), and Newcastle United (2018–19).

The Clarets also need to strengthen their defense because they have allowed 16 goals and failed to keep a clean sheet in seven league games so far this season.

However, keeping Chelsea quiet on Saturday may be difficult because the Blues have scored in all 16 of their previous Premier League encounters with the Lancashire-based team, winning 11 times in the process.

Following up their EFL Cup third-round victory over Brighton and Hove Albion with a road win against West London rivals Fulham on Monday, Chelsea will be confident going into their matchup with Burnley at Turf Moor.

After Armando Broja made the net tremble for the first time in nearly a year following a protracted injury layoff, Mykhaylo Mudryk’s first Blues goal inside the first 18 minutes gave Mauricio Pochettino his first away victory as Chelsea manager.

Ending a three-game streak without a victory or a goal in the Premier League is commendable, but Pochettino and company still have a lot of work to do if they hope to first secure their place in the top half of the standings before looking toward the European spots.
The Blues currently hold the 11th spot in the table with eight points, four points ahead of Burnley in the bottom three and five points behind West Ham United in seventh place.

Chelsea must build on their victory on Monday before facing a challenging stretch of Premier League games against Arsenal, Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Brighton, and Manchester United after the international break.
Chelsea can’t afford to lose points in a game against Burnley that has a good chance of going their way.

The Blues have won each of their last five trips to Turf Moor by an aggregate score of 17-3, including a comfortable 4-0 triumph in their most recent trip to Burnley in March 2022.
However, they have only earned all three points in three of their last 14 Premier League away games since the new year.

Michael Obafemi (hamstring), Nathan Redmond (knee), and Darko Churlinov (blood poisoning) are still out for Burnley, but Johann Berg Gudmundsson (calf), Manuel Benson (knee), and Hjalmar Ekdal (knee) might be able to make it back to the matchday squad on Saturday.

Kompany won’t likely make many, if any, adjustments to his starting lineup.
A back four of Connor Roberts, Ameen Al-Dakhil, Jordan Beyer, and Charlie Taylor will line up behind the midfield trio of Josh Brownhill, Josh Cullen, and Sander Berge.

Bruun Larsen will hope to start his first Premier League game in the front three after scoring the game-winning goal on Tuesday, but Foster, Luca Koleosho, and Zeki Amdouni are the most likely trio to remain in attack.

Ben Chilwell, who has a hamstring injury, will be out until December for Chelsea.
He will join Christopher Nkunku, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Marcus Bettinelli, and Marcus Bettinelli (unspecified) on the injured list.

Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Benoit Badiashile will all be evaluated before kickoff.

Although Reece James is nearing recovery from a hamstring injury, he will serve a one-game suspension this weekend for improper conduct, and fellow right-back Malo Gusto will serve the third and final game of a three-match suspension.

As a result, Marc Cucurella will likely continue to play on the right side of a back four.

Although Moises Caidedo took a knock to the knee during the victory at Fulham, he is anticipated to be available for selection on Saturday and should keep his position in the center of the field alongside Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher.

While Cole Palmer, who like Borja impressed against Fulham, will hope to keep his spot on the right flank, Nicolas Jackson, who is eligible to return from a one-match suspension, will compete with Borja for the starting spot up front. Raheem Sterling, meanwhile, could replace Mudryk on the left depending on a late fitness check.

Burnley’s potential starting lineup

Berge, Cullen, Brownhill; Koleosho, Foster, Amdouni; Roberts, Al-Dakhil, Beyer, Taylor; Trafford; and Brownhill and Trafford.

Possible starting lineup for Chelsea:

Sanchez, Cucurella, Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Caicedo, Fernandez, Gallagher, Palmer, Jackson, and Sterling.

PREDICTION
We say Burnley 0—1 Chelsea

Even though Chelsea has a number of injuries, Pochettino will have faith in the young players at his disposal to defeat Burnley and end the international break on a high note.
However, Kompany can also be said to have the same mindset after his team’s victory in midweek.

After allowing 12 goals in four home games this season, the Clarets must tighten up at the back if they hope to come away with a positive result on Saturday.
However, we think the Blues will put in enough effort to earn a narrow victory away from home.