Chelsea vs Burnley 23/04/19

23 April 2019

After qualifying for the Europa League semi-finals, Chelsea welcome Burnley for a Premier League fixture the hosts have to win if looking to secure a top-four finish.

Currently level with fourth-placed Arsenal in terms of points, the Blues have to pull off a victory here as the Gunners hold one game in hand. A 2-0 away loss to Liverpool last time out has brought Chelsea’s three-game PL winning streak to an end, but the Pensioners still enjoy an almost perfect PL home record in 2019 (W5, D2). Notably, Maurizio Sarri’s men have kept five PL home clean sheets since the turn of the year, restricting their rivals to a maximum of one goal per match in the remaining two. In the same period, Eden Hazard and Co. have bagged 2+ match goals on five occasions, scoring at least one goal in the second half six times in the process. Additionally, Chelsea have secured three wins in four H2H meetings with the PL’s bottom-six teams at this venue this term (W3, D1), preventing them from scoring every single time.

On the other hand, a strong run of form has seen the visitors creating a nine-point gap on 18th-placed Cardiff City as they’ve entered this round carrying a three-game PL winning run on their backs. Unpredictable away from home, especially in the recent period, the Clarets have endured mixed fortunes in their last six PL away fixtures (W2, D2, L2), with all five of their previous PL road games featuring over 2.5 match goals. Additionally, Burnley go after their elusive first road points against the PL’s top-five sides having lost all four of their previous away meetings with the league’s elite. Burnley’s inability to keep a clean sheet on the road may also trouble Sean Dyche considering his players have conceded at least one goal in 14 of 17 PL away clashes, conceding 2+ match goals eight times in the process.