A last-gasp winner from Willian secured a vital three points for Chelsea as they extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points over second placed Manchester City. Jose Mourinho will view this weekend’s fixture as an eminently winnable fixture over a side new to the Premier League this season, however any slips up and a well-organised Burnley side will be ready to capitalise.
Forward Eden Hazard has once again been one of Chelsea’s leading attacking lights this season and the Burnley defence will have to mindful of the threat he poses. His ability to run at high speed with the ball has seen him amass an incredible 113 dribbles this season, which, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, makes him the only player in the Barclays Premier League to have moved into triple figures in this category and that means he has completed one on average every 19.5 minutes he has been on the pitch this season. Hazard is 23/18 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.
Behind him, Nemanja Matic has been garnering rave reviews all season for the manner in which he has diligently protected his back four. Key to this has not only been his positional sense and technique, but also his incredible engine. No player in the Barclays Premier League has covered more ground than the big Serbian, who has so far racked up an amazing 282.5km this term.
At the back, John Terry’s defensive nous continues to be imperious, frustrating the doubters who have suggested that the Chelsea captain’s powers might finally be on the wane. He has won a superb 82.9% of his 41 attempted challenges this season, whilst conceding just five fouls.
Despite the in-form Danny Ings initially bringing Burnley back into the game, Sean Dyche’s battling and resilient side couldn’t quite hold on for the result their performance would likely have deserved as they went down 3-1 at Old Trafford. Things don’t get any easier this weekend as they come up against the league-leaders in strong-form.
Ings has been by far and away Burnley’s most effective attacking force this season, racking up an eye-catching 51 attempts on goal according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. He’s been on target with 41.2% of these shots, meaning he has scored on average with every 2.33 shots which have hit the target this season. Ings is 17.4 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.
A key feature of Burnley’s play this season has been their remarkable collective work ethic. They have had to play plenty of minutes without the ball but this doesn’t mean they have simply been sitting back and inviting teams to attack. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that they have not only collectively ran the greatest average distance per game of any Barclays Premier League squad (116.3km) but that in Scott Arfield and George Boyd they have the two players who have recorded the highest number of sprints in the league this season, with 1,693 and 1,599 to their names respectively.
Jason Shackell has had his work cut out for him in the league this season, with plenty of defending to be done against some of the brightest attacking talents in world football. He’s recorded the highest number of total defensive contributions (blocks interceptions, clearances, tackles won) of any Burnley player this season with 359 to his name.
Chelsea vs Burnley Possible Lineups:
Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Hazard, Oscar, Willian; Costa
Burnley: Heaton; Trippier, Shackell, Keane, Mee; Boyd, Arfield, Jones, Kightly; Barnes, Ings
Chelsea vs Burnley Match Facts:
- Chelsea have kept 16 clean sheets in their last 20 top-flight home games, conceding just six goals in that run.
- All six of Willian’s Premier League goals have arrived in the final 20 minutes of matches.
- Diego Costa has scored six goals in his last seven Premier League appearances.
- Danny Ings has scored in five of his last six league appearances for Burnley.
- Burnley have conceded a league-high 16 headed goals in the Premier League this season – six more than any other team.
- The Clarets have won just two of their 31 Premier League away games (D5, L24) keeping just one clean sheet
Facts compiled from BBC
Chelsea vs Burnley Prediction:
A 2-0 win for the home side.
Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars with at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ or with FIFA Ultimate team.