Burnley have clawed their way away from the relegation zone with back to back wins. Burnley sat three points off the drop zone before huge wins against Leicester City and Manchester United. Those matches have relieved some of the pressure at Turf Moor. A third win in a row could take the Clarets into the top half, far away from the threat of relegation.
Arsenal’s late equalizer against Chelsea was exciting, but it pretty much ended their top four hopes. They remained 10 points off fourth with 14 matches to go. Their season has been mediocre and it will be hard to change that. However, any impressive performances are more than welcome for new coach Mikel Arteta.
Team News
Burnley will be without the services of Ashley Barnes and Johann Gudmundsson through injuries, according to Premierinjuries.com.
Arsenal have a few more injuries to deal with. Calum Chambers, Kieran Tierney, Reiss Nelson and new signing Cedric Soares will miss out with injuries, while Sead Kolasinac and Shkodran Mustafi will have late fitness tests, according to Premierinjuries.com.
Key Players
Burnley: Chris Wood
Wood’s 10 goals this season match his total for each of the last two seasons. He’s contributed to three of Burnley’s four goals in their last two matches. Wood is a big part of what Burnley are doing and can take advantage of this matchup. Arsenal have defended better lately, but their defenders still have plenty of individual errors in them. He can easily take advantage of those flaws and score a goal or two.
Arsenal: Gabriel Martinelli
Martinelli has started his Arsenal career incredibly well. He has scored in each of Arsenal’s last two league matches. The Brazilian has shown a real talent for getting into dangerous positions and getting shots from those positions. That’s the most important skill a striker can have and him showing it at 18 is significant for his development. His continued development could be huge for Arsenal in the future and in this match.
Prediction
Burnley have been in good form and face an Arsenal team that struggles away from home. While Arsenal may be the traditional top six side, they have not played like it this season.
Prediction: 2-1 Burnley
