Arsenal vs Burnley 22/12/18

22 December 2018

After suffering a painful EFL Cup elimination to city rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal will welcome a vulnerable Burnley side to the Emirates Stadium looking to bounce back immediately.

A 3-2 road defeat to Southampton last weekend has ended Gunners’ outstanding 22-game unbeaten run in all competitions, and Unai Emery’s players failed to recover, losing 2-0 at home to the Spurs in midweek’s EFL Cup clash. However, Arsenal are unbeaten in the Premier League in their last eight home matches although they’ve failed to secure all three points twice in their previous five games at Emirates. Although the Gunners managed to find the back of the net eight times in a row at home, they’ve struggled to score more than two goals per match three times in their previous five encounters. Meanwhile, their defensive problems have seen them conceding six times at home this term, with Bernd Leno struggling to keep a clean sheet four times in the last five outings.

On the other hand, the visitors are having immense difficulties on all fronts this season, as they sit 18th in the table with a record of three wins, three draws, and eleven defeats. Dealing with big problems when it comes to their road performance, the Clarets have lost six out of eight games away from home, clinching just one triumph in the process. Only Cardiff City (5) have scored fewer goals than Burnley (6) on the road this year, with Sean Dyche’s men failing to hit the back of the net four times on their last five road trips. Also, their tally of 18 goals conceded on the road is the Premier League’s third-worst this season, Tom Heaton managing to keep a clean sheet on just two away meetings so far.

Provisional line-up – Arsenal:

Gk: Leno Defense: Monreal – Koscielny – Lichtsteiner – Bellerin Midfield: Guendouzi – Xhaka – Torreira Attack: Mkhitaryan – Iwobi – Aubameyang

Provisional line-up – Burnley:

Gk: Joe Hart Defense: Tarkowski – Ben Mee – Bardsley – Kevin Long – Westwood – Taylor Midfield: Brady – Jack Cork – Lennon Attack: Barnes