Scott Parker will be happy with his team’s performances, especially with their ability to get valuable points in games where there are equal opponents. Burnley have won their last two games in the Premier League against fellow newly-promoted side Leeds United and then against a struggling Wolves side, but the challenge gets difficult with Arsenal coming over at Turf Moor.
The Clarets have built momentum in the bottom half of the table, and their current haul of ten points is five points better than 18th-placed Nottingham Forest. Parker will aim to build on this start to the season and ensure Burnley are relatively safe with some good results.
However, they face league leaders Arsenal at Turf Moor, and Parker will hope to make life difficult for the North Londoners. The Clarets have been strong at home, and their only loss came against Liverpool through a penalty at the death, and the Burnley boss will want his players to put in a similar performance against the Gunners.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are the in-form team in the division and managed to end October with a perfect record, without conceding a single goal in the process across all competitions. Following the narrow victory over Crystal Palace, Mikel Arteta’s men opened up a four-point gap over second-placed Bournemouth while leading expected challengers such as Manchester City and Liverpool by six and seven points respectively.
Despite being branded a ‘defensive’ team and overanalysing their reliance on set pieces, Arsenal managed to silence critics with two open play goals in the win over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this week. The victory in the EFL Cup set up a quarter-final date with Crystal Palace, and Arteta will now focus on the Premier League to at least keep the points gap over second-placed Bournemouth intact after this weekend.
Arsenal have a decent run of games before the international break, and they will face Burnley on Saturday and then Sunderland, both away from home. Meanwhile, rivals Manchester City and Liverpool will play each other next weekend, and Arteta will want to take full advantage of that, given one or both of those rivals will drop points. Hence, wins over Burnley and Sunderland are crucial for the Gunners in the context of the title race.
Scott Parker has a relatively injury-free squad ahead of Saturday, with Zeki Amdouni, Jordan Beyer, and Connor Roberts those who are missing out with problems, with none of the trio expected to return before the end of the year.
There were some doubts about Lesley Ugochukwu following his enforced change in the win over Wolves last weekend. However, the French midfielder is not expected to miss out as the issue was deemed minor. Parker is expected to name a familiar lineup, and he is not likely to shape up to sit deep in a low block against Arsenal’s attack.
Hence, there will be a back four in play, with Kyle Walker, Axel Tuanzebe, Maxime Esteve and Quilindschy Hartman in the backline. Florentino Luis and Josh Cullen will marshal the midfield, with Ugochukwu likely to play a bit more advanced in his role.
Former Arsenal academy star Jaidon Anthony will feature on the left wing for Burnley, with Jacob Brunn Larsen on the other wide zone, while Zian Flemming will lead the line for the Clarets this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Dubravka; Walker, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Hartman; Florentino Luis, Cullen; Larsen, Ugochukwu, Anthony; Flemming
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that there were no fresh concerns following the midweek win over Brighton & Hove Albion. Following the win over Crystal Palace, there were four players placed as doubts for the EFL Cup game, but Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori have since returned, with the former playing a part in the midweek win from the bench.
Gabriel Martinelli has joined Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Noni Madueke and Martin Odegaard in the treatment room, with Arteta stating this game might be too soon for the Brazilian winger. On William Saliba, he was on the fence, not ruling the French defender out of the Burnley clash will provide optimism that his problem is minor.
Arteta is widely expected to name a familiar lineup and bring in those he rested in midweek. Martin Zubimendi and Rice could resume their midfield partnership, while Eberechi Eze will retain his place in the No.10 role. At the back, Gabriel Magalhaes will return to his centre-back role, and so will Calafiori and Jurrien Timber.
Cristhian Mosquera might retain his place if Saliba is deemed unfit for this trip. In the attack, barring Eze, Arteta will be bringing his big hitters back into the fold. Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard will feature in the wide roles, while Viktor Gyokeres will lead the line for Arsenal against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Eze, Trossard; Gyokeres
Last weekend, Eze showed why he was signed, following the match-winning goal he scored in the first half against his former side. The prime idea for the English attacker’s presence is to allow Arsenal an extra weapon when facing low blocks, and this trip to Turf Moor could be another such test.
Since his high-profile move to Arsenal, Eze has had a relatively modest start, but he has been growing into his role in Martin Odegaard’s injury-enforced absence. Hence, he will be the man Mikel Arteta will bank upon to open up what could be another low block they face at Turf Moor.
Burnley are not the team everyone would expect to hurt Arsenal’s defence, but they do have a few tricks up their sleeve, especially on the counter, which could see them score an odd goal. However, the Clarets are the clear underdogs heading into this contest.
Arsenal are widely expected to keep another clean sheet, but they could make their presence felt in the attacking third. Having gained plenty of experience this season in unlicking low blocks, this will be another day of hard work for Mikel Arteta’s side, who will eventually come out on top and collect the three points at Turf Moor. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Arteta and his men.
