Arsenal will travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley on Sunday 2nd October 2016 for the 7th round of matches in the Premier League. Arsene Wenger’s men are in a rich vein of form after winning their last four games in the league and will look to continue with their winning run against a team they are expected to beat. This is where and why Burnley will be very dangerous as they will play without any fear and after beating Liverpool and Watford at home, Sean Dyche’s men can surprise the Gunners if they are not careful enough. Burnley are yet to beat Arsenal in a Premier League game in their four meetings losing thrice and drawing just once.
Team News
Sean Dyche has a fully-fit squad with the exception of Ashley Barnes who is suffering from a hamstring injury and will not feature in the upcoming match. Striker Andre Gray is suspended for four games so he will also not be with the team on Sunday. The Clarets are likely to field the same side which beat Watford on Monday night hoping for a similar result which will shock their opponents.
Arsenal will be without Olivier Giroud for the tie while Per Mertesacker, Aaron Ramsey, Danny Welbeck and Carl Jenkinson remain on the sidelines. There is good news on Francis Coquelin though, with the French midfielder having made an unexpectedly quick recovery he can be with the squad for the Burnley trip.
Possible Lineups
Burnley (4-5-1): Heaton; Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward; Gudmundsson, Hendrik, Marney, Defour, Boyd; Vokes
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech; Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal; Xhaka, Cazorla; Walcott, Ozil, Iwobi; Sanchez
Key Players
Steven Defour has been excellent for his new team and he will be the one his manager will look upon to make the difference in the set piece situations which will give the hosts chances to score goals. The Belgian also has scored a stunning long-range goal in the League so he can get his team something to look forward to from nothing if allowed too much space in the middle.
Santi Cazorla will be the most important player for Arsenal on Sunday as it is his performance that fuels the team when they play against opposition like Burnley who will put men behind the ball, defend deep and break quickly on the counter. The Spanish midfielder’s orchestration from the deep will be the key in breaking down the stubborn defence of the hosts.
Betting Odds
Arsenal are expected favourites to win the tie at 2/5 while a win for the hosts is given at 8/1. A draw is priced at 7/2. (Paddypower)
