Premier League: Maurizio’s First Taste of Claret

Burnley vs Chelsea

If you haven’t been to Burnley, which I’m pretty sure Maurizio Sarri hasn’t, then it’s an experience you are unlikely to forget in a hurry, particularly if you come from West London!

Since their arrival in the Premier League, the Clarets have always given opponents a warm welcome to one of the coldest corners of the country. But the Turf Moor stadium rocks like few others when Burnley are on the charge with their passionate, sometimes hostile, support. The aristocrats of the top flight have raised eyebrows when they first arrive at this traditional ground, surrounded by smoky terraces and with wooden seats in the away end.

The visitors’ dressing room is so small, that Sir Alex Ferguson complained, in 2009, that it didn’t comply with Premier League regulations. The thrifty northerners were happy to indulge and extended it by a foot!

So when Sarri brings his title-chasing Chelsea to Turf Moor on Sunday, he’ll know pretty soon he’s in a game. Premier League 2018 odds have the Blues as third favourites, and this is exactly the type of test they must pass to stay in the chase.

Talking Points

The West Londoners certainly have the pedigree running right through their team with the exceptional Cesar Azpilicueta at wing-back, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante in the middle, and Willian up front. Sarri has moulded his team pretty quickly, and bringing Jorginho from Napoli was a masterstroke.

Eden Hazard suffered a back injury during their Premier League match against Manchester United — Eden Hazard dribbles the ball during their match vs Manchester United

Eden Hazard is the best player in the league at the moment, as he showed in a classy performance against Liverpool recently. He’s dominating the Premier League 2018 news with his superb displays and is scoring for fun, topping the league with seven goals already. And Ross Barkley seems to be coming of age, playing with more composure and purpose under Sarri than we have seen before.

Ross Barkley’s last minute goal salvaged Chelsea a point in the Premier League — Ross Barkley about to score the equaliser goal

Ruben Loftus-Cheek gave Sarri a reminder of the depth of his squad with a hat-trick in Thursday night’s Europa League win over BATE. Sarri rested some of his big names, including Hazard and Antonio Rudiger, but those who played put in a professional performance against stubborn opposition; that bodes well for their visit to Burnley.

Chelsea saved their unbeaten league record with a 95^th-minute equaliser against Manchester United last week in a dramatic finale, and the Blues are unlikely to give it up this weekend in East Lancashire.

After qualifying for Europe last season, Burnley made a stuttering start to this campaign. A heavy fixture load, playing six Europa games, and injuries to key players haven’t helped. But Sean Dyche’s team has ground out some results to lift them away from the drop zone, and their two most gifted players are set to return.

Robbie Brady has been out for almost nine months with a dreadful knee injury, and the Turf Moor faithful would love to see him get some game time on Sunday. The Ireland winger scored a stunner in this fixture back in 2017, as Burnley drew with the Blues.

The other long-term injury, Belgium international Steven Defour returned last week, but a game against a rampant Manchester City team wasn’t really a worthwhile test. With another week of training under his belt, Defour could be influential in a midfield tussle on home ground against a Chelsea team not quite at City’s level.

The Clarets have had some success against Chelsea over the past two years, stunning the then champions with a 2-3 win at Stamford Bridge last season. They do have plenty of quality in their ranks, including England defender James Tarkowski and experienced midfielder Jack Cork. And, of course, they have the redoubtable Sean Dyche as boss, the embodiment of his team’s tough jaw.

History

Despite the huge gap in wealth of these two teams, the results on the pitch haven’t been entirely one-sided. Over the past five match-ups between Burnley and Chelsea, there has been a one-goal victory each, two draws and a 3-0 win for the Blues back in 2016.

Burnley have a rich heritage as one of the founding members of the Football League, winners of all four top divisions and FA Cup winners. In fact, the Clarets had been English Champions more recently than Chelsea before the Abramovich takeover.

But in recent times, Chelsea swept the board in domestic football and are in a different league (the big six) to their more humble hosts.

Premier League head-to-heads are in Chelsea’s favour by five to two, with two draws.

Betting tip

	Burnley vs Chelsea	Burnley, Asian Handicap +1.50 @1.80
	October 28, 21:30 (GMT+8)

The Clarets don’t seem to have got going yet this season, but they’ll need to on Sunday or they could be on the end of a hiding. But Chelsea drew two of their last three league games and don’t always travel well up north.

Our SBOBET odds have Chelsea at 2.14 with that handicap. While I think Sarri’s team could well take the points, I expect Dyche to have his men fired up and a one-goal margin looks likely.

And 2 to 3 Goals, at odds of 1.95, could be a good bet for an alternative.