Potential Banana Skin for Chelsea at Turf Moor
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The match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur is being billed as the big game in the Premier League this weekend but the most intriguing must be the clash between Burnley and Chelsea at Turf Moor.
The home team will be looking to reverse a poor run of form against the Premier League leaders, with trends showing they have lost four of their previous five league matches against the Blues.
You must go back to 1973 to find the last time Chelsea lost at Turf Moor and the bookmakers have them as strong favourites to avoid defeat again this season. However, Burnley have been on a great run at home and will fancy their chances of causing an upset in this game. The Clarets have won their last seven home matches in all competitions and have kept a clean sheet in each of the last four, which is an impressive record. One look at where Burnley have picked up their points this season, shows just how much they rely on their home form, with 28 of their 29 points coming at Turf Moor. Sean Dyche’s team have won more points at home than Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United, which is a tremendous record.
A look at the fixture list shows Burnley have four away league games in a row after this and with their away form so poor this season, they will be determined to pick up another 3 points from this match.
Chelsea travel north on the back of what was a comfortable home win against Arsenal and Antonio Conte will be expecting a much tougher examination of his team this weekend. Chelsea have the best away record in the Premier League this season and although they have not scored as many goals as some other teams in the division, have been the best defensively. In their last nine away league games, trends show Chelsea have kept six clean sheets, only conceding to Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City. Conte will know if his team can keep a clean sheet in this game, they have the talent to create one moment of magic to win the match.
However, Burnley have not been losing at half-time in any of their previous 33 home matches so Chelsea may have to be patient in their pursuit of scoring the opening goal. Do not be surprised to see this match level at 0-0 come the half-time whistle. The question is, can Chelsea go on to win the game in the second half or will Burnley be the team who can break the deadlock first? The half-time draw/full-time Chelsea makes a good value bet for this match. It’s set to be a physical encounter, with Burnley holding their defensive shape and asking the question of the Chelsea attack. It should be a very interesting game to watch, although goals are likely to be few and far between.
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