Burnley vs Arsenal

Turf Moor forms the backdrop for a lopsided Premier League encounter between relegation-battling Burnley and title-bidding Arsenal.

Burnley’s stuttering bid to secure Premier League survival took another hit last weekend as a 3-1 defeat to title-chasing Liverpool condemned them to a sixth consecutive winless league outing (D2, L4). Manager Vincent Kompany’s touchline ban added insult to injury, derailing Burnley’s hopes of arresting a four-match winless league run against Arsenal (D2, L2). Further skepticism stems from their dismal home form, with the ‘Clarets’ going winless across their last four top-flight games at Turf Moor (D2, L2), frustratingly conceding precisely three goals on three occasions. That stretch forms part of the division’s worst home record (W1, D2, L9). Defensive frailties have seen the Lancashire minnows concede 2+ goals in nine of those 12 contests, which was the case in a 3-1 defeat in the reverse fixture in November.

On the other hand, Arsenal’s pursuit of their first Premier League title in two decades is firmly back on track after a 6-0 demolition of fellow London rivals West Ham followed a crunch 3-1 triumph against Liverpool. Mikel Arteta’s high-flyers have won all four league matches in 2024, three of which via multiple-goal margins, en route to whittling down the gap on the top spot to only two points. Equally significant is the fact the ‘Gunners’ have gone from three successive top-flight travels without winning (D1, L2) to back-to-back away victories, both of which saw them score precisely two second-half goals. But Arsenal can’t take anything for granted, given their recent struggles at Turf Moor that have seen them score under 1.5 goals on their last three Premier League visits to this venue (W1, D2).