Preview: Arsenal vs Burnley – prediction, team news, line-ups

Two sides from contrasting places in the Premier League table face off as Arsenal take on relegation-threatened Burnley in Saturday’s showdown at the Emirates Stadium.

Both sides head into the weekend contest looking to set the record straight after suffering defeats to Newcastle United and Crystal Palace, respectively.

Despite stuttering in their previous two domestic fixtures, Mikel Arteta’s side are still favourites to take maximum points from Burnley, and you can buy Arsenal vs Burnley tickets at Seatnets.com to get front-row seats to the game.

Arsenal head into this fixture on the back of a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Sevilla in the Champions League – a result that puts the Gunners on the brink of last-16 qualification.

Arsenal star boy Bukayo Saka spearheaded the victory for Arteta’s men, bagging a goal and an assist despite being on the end of some very strong tackles from his opponents.

The England international set up Leandro Trossard to break the deadlock just before the half-hour mark before curling home a fine finish in the second half to put the game to bed.

Saka’s man-of-the-match performance means Arsenal now need only one point from their remaining two Group B fixtures to rubber-stamp a place in the knockout rounds.

Victory on the continental front was a perfect response to back-to-back domestic defeats for Arteta’s men, who saw their Carabao Cup hopes fade into thin air following a 3-1 defeat to West Ham United in the fourth round.

Still reeling from the disappointing result, the subsequent defeat to Newcastle left Arteta and his side visibly distraught following a controversial decision from VAR. 

Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon survived three VAR checks to inflict Arsenal’s first Premier League defeat, with Arteta launching a scathing post-match rant, questioning the standard of officiating in the division.

The defeat at St. James’ Park saw the Gunners drop to fourth place after 11 games, three points adrift of league leaders and defending champions Manchester City.

Arsenal head into the weekend fixture having won each of their last three games on home turf without conceding, a stark contrast from their defensive woes at the Emirates last term.

However, Burnley will fancy their chances of snatching a positive result at the Emirates, considering their decent Premier League record on the road this term.

The Clarets suffered their 9th defeat of the 2023/24 campaign against Palace at Turf Moor last weekend, plunging their survival hopes further into uncertainty.

Kompany’s style of play that helped Burnley win the Championship by a landslide has had next to no success in the top flight, and they were made to pay for their preference for playing out from defence.

The Clarets were caught in possession twice close to James Trafford’s goal, and Roy Hodgson’s side took full advantage of the slip-up on both occasions.

Jeffrey Schlupp and Tyrick Mitchell scored on either side of half time, condemning Burnley to a 2-0 defeat, which saw them become the first-ever top-flight team to lose each of their opening six home games of a season.

Kompany’s side created three big chances and spurned each courtesy of a combination of wastefulness and the goalkeeping prowess of Sam Johnstone.

The Championship winners remain rooted in the relegation zone after taking four points from 11 games, but only two points separate them from 17th-placed Luton Town.

Despite employing an attacking style of play, Burnley have only scored eight goals this season, a paltry statistic that represents the worst offensive record in the Premier League.

However, they can take comfort from the fact that all four of their points have come away from Turf Moor, sparking hopes of a potential upset at the Emirates.

Match Preview

Arsenal

Arsenal have historically been the dominant force in this fixture, winning 55 out of the 113 games against Burnley (D24, L34), but their recent metrics against the Clarets does not inspire confidence.

They have won just one of their last five meetings with the Lancashire side (D3, L1) despite previously winning ten of their first 11 Premier League games against them.

This fixture has failed to provide the fireworks in its last six instalments, with only seven goals scored between both sides since 2019, when Arsenal won 2-1 at home.

Despite their shocking recent results against Burnley, Arsenal are overwhelming favourites to emerge from Saturday’s contest victorious.

They have always flexed their muscles against newly promoted sides, especially on home turf, going unbeaten in their last 37 such games (W32, D5).

Burnley

The Clarets have also managed to avoid defeat in each of their last two trips to the Emirates and have only been beaten in one of their previous five meetings with Arsenal in the Premier League.

After a run of nine consecutive defeats away from home against Arsenal in all competitions between 1975 and 2019, Burnley are unbeaten in their last two trips to the Gunners.

While those stats will boost confidence ahead of Saturday, they will need to run a tight ship at the back to keep the Gunners at bay, having conceded eight goals in three successive away defeats since October 21.

Burnley have scored only eight goals in their 16 matches against Arsenal in the Premier League and have never scored more than one goal in a single game.

Their paltry attacking record is unlikely to change this weekend, considering their awful run of form, especially with Arsenal heading into the game on the back of a morale-boosting victory.

Team News

Saka limped off with what appeared to be an ankle injury in the dying embers of the Champions League victory over Sevilla and will need to be assessed ahead of the Burnley fixture. 

Takehiro Tomiyasu has also emerged as a major doubt after coming off at half-time with what was described as a “discomfort” in the opening 45 minutes.

Captain Martin Odegaard and Eddie Nketiah will hope to return for the Gunners after sitting out the midweek triumph, but Gabriel Jesus, Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe remain sidelined. 

Leandro Trossard’s performance in Europe could be enough for him to retain his place in the starting XI, with Nketiah settling for a place on the bench.

Burnley will be without Lyle Foster again, with the striker unlikely to return from illness until after the international break.

Arsenal potential starting line-up:

(4-3-3): David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Kai Havertz, Jorginho, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli.

Burnley potential starting line-up:

(4-5-1): James Trafford; Conor Roberts, Dara O’Shea, Jordan Beyer, Charlie Taylor; Johann Gudmundsson, Sander Berge, Josh Brownhill, Josh Cullen, Luca Koleosho; Zeki Amdouni.

We Say: Arsenal 3-1 Burnley

Midweek fatigue and fresh knocks may be Arsenal’s undoing at the Emirates, especially in a fixture in which they have enjoyed little success over the past few years.

However, Kompany’s style of play suggests the Clarets will try to take the game to the Gunners, leaving gaps for Arteta’s men to exploit on their way to a comprehensive victory.