Burnley face another uphill task after seeing off Liverpool last weekend as they face an Antonio Conte charged Chelsea side in their own backyard, the Stamford Bridge. Chelsea will be looking to make it a perfect 3 out of 3 after seeing off West Ham United and Watford in successive matches over the first two weeks. While Chelsea would have anticipated an easy fixture after the draw was made, the events of last week will definitely keep them on their toes. But the Blues would be secretly happy due to Burnley’s promotion. With those familiar with trivia, Chelsea have won the title in both of the previous seasons when Burnley were in the division.
Coming to the match, Chelsea would be happy with the history between the two sides. The Blues have won 3 and drawn 1 out of their 4 matches. And Ivanovic would be licking his lips at the prospect of squaring up to the opposition, against whom he scored in both the matches when Burnley were last in the Premier League (2014-15). While Burnley are known for their notorious habit of shutting out their oppositions and frustrating them with their dedicated and solid set-up, it is expected Chelsea’s firepower will be enough to dismantle Sean Dyche’s carefully hatched plans.
HERE IS THE PREDICTED BURNLEY LINE-UP AGAINST CHELSEA (4-4-2)
DEFENCE
Heaton will most likely line up in goal and he will come prepared with the expectation of an extremely busy day at the office. His form will be crucial as sometimes an inspired goalkeeping performances can earn a shock draw in such matches. Lowton will be at right-back with a central defensive pairing of Ben Mee and Michael Keane. Keane will be eager to showcase his undoubted potential and back-to-back impressive performances will go a long way in boosting his stock. Ward is expected to start at left-back.
MIDFIELD
The central midfield will most likely be manned by the newly formed pair of Marney and Steven Defour. Defour enjoyed an extremely positive induction with a win against Liverpool and will be faced with another enormous task at Stamford Bridge. They will be flanked by George Boyd and Arfield. The midfielders will be expected to do a lot of running on the day.
ATTACK
The goalscorers from last week- Andre Gary and Sam Vokes will again be stationed up top and with bustling confidence they will be raring to go up against the nervy Chelsea defence and it is imperative they take their chances in a similar manner to the last game.
