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

Riding a six-goal high after their record-breaking victory, Arsenal set their sights on extending their perfect Premier League run in 2024 this Saturday. 

Their next hurdle features a trip to Turf Moor to face a beleaguered Burnley side desperately clinging to Premier League survival.

The Gunners are heavily fancied to secure a routine win in Lancashire, and seatsnet.com remains the best ticket marketplace for those looking to secure a spot in the stands.

Burnley travelled to Merseyside to take on Premier League leaders Liverpool last weekend but emerged from Anfield with a 3-1 defeat, which doesn’t bode well for their survival hopes.

In front of the largest-ever crowd to pack into Anfield for a Premier League fixture, the Clarets raised eyebrows after holding Liverpool to a draw at half time after Dara O’Shea’s header cancelled out Diogo Jota’s opener.

They also managed to head into the break on the ascendancy but failed to build on their momentum and had no response to Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez’s headers in the second period.

Stuck in 19th place with no wins in 2024, Burnley are only clear of basement side Sheffield United on goal difference after the Blades picked up a morale-boosting victory over fellow relegation battlers Luton Town.

However, for Burnley, the gap to safety remains precarious. They sit seven points behind the 17th-placed Luton, who also boast a game in hand.

Their leaky defense, boasting the second-worst record in the league with 50 goals conceded, at an average of just over two per game, is a cause for concern. 

However, scoring in five consecutive Premier League games offers a flicker of hope for Kompany’s men.

While they endure a dismal seven-game losing streak on home turf, Burnley have shown signs of fight in recent weeks, salvaging points from three of their last five matches at Turf Moor.

They have held Premier League newcomers Luton and Marco Silva’s Fulham to respectable draws at their Lancashire headquarters.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta’s rampant Arsenal troops bestowed no mercy upon their capital neighbours, West Ham United, putting six past David Moyes’ beleaguered troops in their previous outings.

The feeble Hammers were powerless to resist as the memorable victory constituted Arsenal’s biggest Premier League win away from home to date and their joint-largest in their entire league history.

The Gunners made their superiority count in a blistering 15-minute spell before half-time.

William Saliba opened the scoring after the half-hour mark, heading home a Rice corner before Bukayo Saka won and emphatically dispatched a penalty, grabbing his landmark 50th goal for the Gunners.

Saliba’s centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhaes got in on the action, latching on to a dangerous in-swinger from Rice before Leandro Trossard rounded off a first-half demolition with a curled finish.

Saka bagged a brace just after the hour mark before Rice added gloss to a fine showing against his former employers with a long-range piledriver, keeping the title race delicately poised.

The victory moved Arsenal level on both points and goal difference with defending champions Manchester City, who have a game in hand but are now only ahead of Arteta’s third-placed troops on goals scored.

Match Preview

Burnley

Burnley have a poor record against Arsenal, having only won one of their last 17 Premier League games against them (D4, L12). Their most recent win against the Gunners came in December 2020 at the Emirates Stadium.

Burnley’s struggles against Arsenal are also evident in their scoring record. 

They have only scored nine goals in their last 17 Premier League games against the Gunners, and never more than once in a match. This is the most one team has faced another in the competition without ever scoring multiple goals.

This season, the Clarets have struggled against teams in the top half of the table, failing to win any of their nine games against such teams (D1, L8), shipping in a whopping 24 goals in the process.

Burnley’s defensive woes have also been a major problem this season. They have conceded 50 Premier League goals in just 24 matches, hitting the landmark figure in the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool. 

The appalling record constitutes the earliest they have conceded 50 goals in a league season since 1932/33 and the earliest in the top flight since 1929/30

Arsenal

Arsenal face Burnley this weekend with a unique blend of history and confidence, boasting a ten-game unbeaten streak in their trips to Turf Moor (W5, D5).

They’re unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games against the Clarets, with only capital rivals Chelsea boasting an identical record against a single opposition in the competition (9, also against Burnley).

Only once before in their title-winning season of 1934/35 have Arsenal won their first four league games of a calendar year.

Should the north London giants prevail at Turf Moor this weekend, it will mark the first time in their history that they have triumphed in their opening five league matches in a calendar year.

Additionally, their current tally of just 11 conceded goals on the road in the current season hints at a team well-equipped to handle a Burnley side they overcame 3-1 in the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium.

Team news & potential line-ups

Maxime Esteve had to be replaced in the 80th minute of his first Premier League start for Burnley against Liverpool, but he could return to the starting line-up for the weekend showdown with Arsenal.

Charlie Taylor could provide a boost to the Clarets’ backline, as he nears a return from a shoulder injury sustained in early January. However, Jordan Beyer is still a few weeks away, and long-term absentees Luca Koleosho and Nathan Redmond remain sidelined.

For Arsenal, the injury list remains lengthy. The likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Emile Smith Rowe, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira, and Gabriel Jesus will all be assessed ahead of the game.

Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard’s impressive performance against West Ham in a false nine role could see him retain his starting spot despite the potential return of other attackers.

Burnley potential starting line-up:

(4-4-2): James Trafford; Lorenz Assignon, Dara O’Shea, Maxime Esteve, Hannes Delcroix; Wilson Odobert, Sander Berge, Josh Brownhill, Jacob Bruun Larsen; Zeki Amdouni, David Datro Fofana.

Arsenal potential starting line-up:

(4-3-3): David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jakub Kiwior; Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz; Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli.

We Say: Arsenal to win.

Arsenal were dominant in the reverse fixture against Burnley, and we expect more of the same when they journey north on Saturday.

The Gunners can ill-afford a slip-up with the title race heating up as Liverpool take on Brentford and City square off with Chelsea.