Are Burnley set to move up the Premier League standings? The Clarets, promoted from the Championship at the end of last season, are coming off a 2-1 win away to Luton Town.
Vincent Kompany’s team has a long way to go to move away from the bottom three, however. Burnley will begin matchday No. 8 in the relegation. They are 18th in the standings with four points from seven matches.
😁 pic.twitter.com/wieQcdceKC— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 4, 2023
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Chelsea are also trying to kickstart their season and move up the table. Mauricio Pochettino’s team are coming off a 2-0 away win against Fulham.
It was just Chelsea’s second win in seven matches this season in the league. The win ended a two-match Premier League winless streak.
Burnley have already played four times at home this season, losing all four fixtures. They were outscored 12-3 in the four matches played at Turf Moor.
The expansive possession-based attacking football played by Burnley in the Championship last season has not translated over to the Premier League. They only scored six goals in their opening seven matches.
Chelsea went unbeaten in their last two away matches, taking four points from six points on offer. A nil-nil draw away to Bournemouth was followed by a 2-0 win over Fulham.
Saturday’s match at Turf Moor will be Burnley and Chelsea’s first meeting since 2021-22. In their last six encounters, Chelsea went unbeaten with five wins and one draw.
They outscored Burnley 17-3. However, this is a different Chelsea squad that doesn’t score many goals.
Indeed, Chelsea scored just seven goals in their opening seven matches of the league campaign. Burnley have allowed 16 goals this season, which should give Chelsea hope of tickling the nets at Turf Moor.
Pochettino could be without as many as 13 players for the trip to the northwest.
Striker Nicolas Jackson is suspended for the match, but Armando Broja could be fit in time to play. Mykhailo Mudryk could be fit after suffering a thigh injury.
Moises Caicedo is in line to return following a thigh injury. Benoit Badiashile is unlikely to play due to a thigh injury. Meanwhile, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku, and Ben Chilwell are all ruled out.
Kompany will be without Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Benson Hedilazio, Nathan Redmond, Michael Obafemi, and Hjalmar Ekdal are all ruled out of the match.
Chelsea should collect a second straight win at Burnley’s expense on Saturday. The Blues should post a 2-1 win away from home.