Chelsea vs. Burnley
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Kick off: 1PM
Thomas Tuchel will be looking for his first victory as Chelsea boss when the Blues welcome a revitalised Burnley to Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
The capital giants were held to a goalless draw by Wolverhampton Wanderers in Tuchel’s first game in charge on Wednesday, while Burnley will enter this match off the back of a 3-2 win over Aston Villa. The capital giants were held to a goalless draw by Wolverhampton Wanderers in Tuchel’s first game in charge on Wednesday, while Burnley will enter this match off the back of a 3-2 win over Aston Villa.
Chelsea had plenty of the ball against Wolves on Wednesday, with Tuchel making changes to the team’s formation and indeed personnel for his first game at the helm; it proved to be a frustrating night for the Blues, though, as they were held to a goalless draw by the resolute visitors.
A second Premier League home match in quick succession will hand Chelsea another opportunity to put three points on the board, but the team’s league form has been disappointing in recent weeks, picking up maximum points from just one of their last six matches at this level of football.
The London club were mentioned as possible title contenders earlier this season but currently sit down in eighth position in the table, seven points behind fourth-placed Liverpool and 11 points off leaders Manchester City.
Tuchel’s side have three league games in a row against Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United before facing Barnsley in the FA Cup on February 11, while the Champions League also resumes next month, with the club drawn against La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea’s recent form has been disappointing, but they have won five of their last six Premier League clashes with Burnley, including a 3-0 victory in the reverse match at Turf Moor earlier this season.
Burnley’s last and only Premier League win over Chelsea was at Stamford Bridge, though, with Sam Vokes scoring a brace as the Clarets recorded a 3-2 victory in August 2017.
The omens are not exactly terrific for Sean Dyche’s side considering their recent form against the Blues, but the visitors will enter today’s contest in a confident mood, having recorded three straight wins in all competitions over Liverpool, Fulham and Villa.
The FA Cup victory at Craven Cottage came between a 1-0 win at Anfield and 3-2 home success over Villa, with Dwight McNeil and Chris Wood both scoring in the latter stages of Wednesday’s clash to hand Burnley another three points during a vital stage of the season.
The Clarets have moved into 15th position, nine points clear of the relegation zone, and they might well be looking up the division rather than down as only four points separate them from Leeds United in 12th.
Dyche’s team will be aware of the challenge facing them this afternoon, though, as they take on a Chelsea side with the fourth-best home record in the league this season. Burnley, in contrast, have one of the poorest away records in the 2020-21 Premier League, picking up just nine points from 10 matches.
Chelsea possible XI: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger, Chilwell, Jorginho, Kante, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Abraham, Pulisic.
Burnley possible XI: Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters, Brady, Westwood, Cork, McNeil, Wood, Rodriguez.
