Date: 7th October 2023
Location: Turf Moor, Burnley
Match Prediction: Burnley 0 – 2 Chelsea
Chelsea’s next league fixture sees a trip to Turf Moor to face Premier League newcomers, Burnley.
Off the back of two wins in two games, the first being a 1-0 victory over Brighton in the cup. Followed by a strong performance to overcome London rivals Fulham 0-2 at Craven Cottage last weekend.
The three points gained from the Fulham game moves Chelsea up to 11th in the table, one point behind Manchester United.
A win against Burnley could see the Blues head into the top half of the table and turn what looks like promising two victories into a good run of form. Three points are highly important for Chelsea as post the Burnley game, the west London team has a difficult run of fixtures in the lead up to Christmas.
The last fixture showed a lot of promise for fans to get excited about their team in what was the best performance of the season to date. Mykhailo Mudryk netted his first goal for the club while the returning Armando Broja scored in his first start for over nine months.
So, how could Chelsea line up for the cup clash against Burnley?
Predicted starting XI to face Brighton:
R. Sanchez, M. Cucurella, A. Disasi, T. Silva, L. Colwill, E. Fernandez, M. Caicedo, R. C. Gallagher, C. Palmer, R. Sterling, N. Jackson
Robert Sanchez kept another clean sheet in the victory over Fulham. Chelsea being just second behind Manchester City for the least conceded goals this season. The goalkeeper is a fantastic shot stopper and looks to be building confidence at his new club. However, Sanchez needs to improve with the ball at his feet having nearly been caught out numerous times in recent weeks.
Marc Cucurella is expected to retain his place as Malo Gusto serves his suspension and Reece James is banned for a tunnel incident after the loss to Aston Villa. Cucurella seems to have found a fresh energy and has delivered two strong performances in the new right back role.
Axel Disasi and Thiago Silva will line up as the central defensive pairing with Disasi starting to show the full potential the Frenchman has. Levi Colwill will feature at left back again with Ben Chilwell sidelined for a long period of time. Colwill provided a creative assist for Mudryk’s goal against Fulham and is showing his strength in defence.
Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher will retain their midfield places while Moises Caicedo is expected to be fit after picking up a knock in the latter stages of the previous game.
There is a late fitness test for Mudryk, who looks to be enjoying his time under Mauricio Pochettino but it could mean that the Ukrainian starts on the bench with Raheem Sterling returning to the starting XI. Cole Palmer is expected to start after a promising performance against Fulham where he created the most chances.
A big question surrounds the striker spot and if Pochettino will show faith in Broja, who also faces a fitness test before Saturday’s game. Nicolas Jackson returns from his one game suspension and will be pushing to get straight back into the starting line up.
As for Burnley, they currently sit 18th in the league and in a relegation spot. With one win from their opening seven games, Vincent Kompany’s team will look to cause an upset on their home ground.
The main threats for Chelsea will be Koleosho who has been eye-catching in the opening games of the season while Berge provided two assists in Burnley’s win against Luton on Tuesday evening.
If the Blues can sneak an early goal, there could be a dominant display but the longer the games goes on for at 0-0, Burnley will hope to emulate what Nottingham Forest did to Chelsea and come away from the full time whistle with three points.
