Arsenal host Burnley in the Premier League this weekend hoping to keep their title ambitions alive.
The Gunners entered matchday 22 fourth in the table, eight points behind pace-setters Chelsea and nervously looking over their shoulders at Manchester duo City and United.
A shock defeat at the hands of the Clarets would be a serious blow to their objectives for the campaign, but Arsenal will enter Sunday’s match full of confidence after two straight wins – especially considering Burnley are yet to claim victory away from home this term.
However, nothing is guaranteed in the Premier League and Sean Dyche will be hoping his boys can dig in to claim at least a point in north London, further boosting what has thus far been an incredibly solid campaign for the 10th-placed outfit.
But who are the bookies backing? How will injuries and suspensions affect team selections? What are the likeliest starting XIs and where will the match be lost and won? We answer those questions, and more, in our all-in-one preview pack…
Form, favourites and prior encounters
Arsenal win 1/5 – Burnley win 12/1
Draw 11/2
Safe to say, the bookies are backing Arsenal for this one and we’re strongly inclined to agree with them. Whilst Burnley are on a decent run of three wins in their last four league outings (four in six across all competitions), they’re rock bottom of the Premier League’s away table, picking up just one point and scoring only three goals on the road this season. The Gunners, in contrast, are fifth in the home table, losing just once at the Emirates Stadium his term, and have seemingly recovered from that 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, picking up ten points from a possible twelve since.
Likewise, prior encounters only point to an Arsenal win. The Gunners have lost to Burnley just once since 1974, in 2008, and their last six meetings have seen five wins for the north London side, producing an aggregate scoreline of 11-3. Courtesy of Whoscored.
SkyBet odds.
Injuries and suspensions
Arsenal have four players out this weekend, but none who will have a significant impact on Arsene Wenger’s team selections. Indeed, Per Mertesacker and Mathieu Debuchy are way down the pecking order these days and although Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott will be missed, Wenger now has a large and varied squad at his disposal, providing him decent alternatives in most departments. The only other absentee is Mohamed Elneny, who is with Egypt at the African Cup of Nations.
Sean Dyche, meanwhile, could face a few headaches for the right reasons if Dean Marney, Scott Arfield and Johan-Berg Gudmundsson all recover in time for Sunday’s game, giving him a vast array of options in midfield. Joey Barton should also be in contention after featuring for the Clarets in the Premier League and the FA Cup, despite the possibility of a long-term suspension for breaching betting regulations.
Courtesy of PhysioRoom.
Likely Starting XIs
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Considering Arsenal demolished Swansea City 4-0 last time out, we’re expecting Arsene Wenger to stick with the same line-up for Sunday’s game, which will likely see Burnley sit deep in an attempt to avoid the inevitable. If there are changes, however, two areas stand out; although Alex Iwobi has impressed for the Gunners this season, Wenger does have other options on the right wing such as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whilst the returning Francis Coquelin could come back into the engine room, potentially in place of Aaron Ramsey.
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Assuming Marney and Arfield both win their races for fitness, we’re predicting Dyche will return to the starting line-up that claimed a 4-1 win over Sunderland on New Year’s Eve. Of course, the circumstances are markedly different – travelling to a title contender rather than hosting a relegation battler – but this is pretty much the Turf Moor outfit’s strongest starting line-up, although some may make a case for Jeff Hendrick and Joey Barton. Regardless of some debate over the midfield, however, the strike-force and back five have been pretty much unchanged all season.
The Key Battle – Giroud vs Mee and Keane
Arsene Wenger has brought Olivier Giroud back into the starting XI at just the right time, coming in for those typically attritional winter fixtures and proving particularly effective against the Premier League’s rank and file, scoring past West Brom, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Swansea. Arsene Wenger will be looking for similar contributions against the Clarets; as well as goals, providing a pillar to bring the ball down and others into the game against a Burnley side that will likely set up as deep as possible.
That being said, Burnley’s defence are hard to get past on their day. The back four is well organised and Ben Mee and Michael Keane have been exceptional all season. They’ve got the aggression and physicality to cut the aerial supply to Giroud – but Dyche’s side haven’t actually picked up a clean sheet on the road since a visit to Old Trafford in October.
