Chelsea will look to continue their march to the title when they travel to Turf Moor to face a Burnley side who have been fairly steady this season and will look to cause one of the biggest upsets of the season as they look to break into the Top 10. The Clarets have already pulled off a major surprise when they defeated Liverpool 2-0 at home and it was during a period when Liverpool were on top of their game.
Burnley have been dominant at home and 28 of their 29 points have astonishingly come at home. Hence if there was any stadium they would have dreamt of staging an upset, it would be Turf Moor. Chelsea will be confident but they will have to make sure that they are not complacent.
Between now and the end of the season, there doesn’t seem to be enough games where Chelsea might be considered 2nd best before the match and hence it would seem that all they have to do is to avoid being part of any major upsets this season, which would ensure a safe passage to the Premier League title.
Let us take a look at 3 key battles which would potentially have an impact on the outcome of the match.
MICHAEL KEANE VS DIEGO COSTA
Keane has been a reassuring presence at the heart of the defence for Burnley and has been instrumental in their decent run till now. He has exceeded expectations even though he has been touted for big things. His presence of mind and calm demeanour helps him in keeping things settled and tight at the back. But he will be facing something different this time around in the form of Diego Costa. The Spaniard is known to hustle his opponents and likes a good old fashioned physical game. Along with Gibson, Keane has to be at his best to thwart the brilliant Costa.
JOEY BARTON VS N’GOLO KANTE
The controversial Englishman made a surprising return to Burnley after he had helped the club gain promotion and had also made a shock exit. But he finds himself with the Clarets once more and has to bring all his experience into play if Burnley are to stop the Blues. He will be pitted against Kante in midfield and while both have different playing styles, Barton is always up for a good fight and Chelsea will not have it easy at the centre of the park.
TOM HEATON VS THE CHELSEA ATTACK
The Burnley keeper has probably been their most impressive player this season, making numerous important saves and has been vital to all of their big results. He has been in top form and is most likely in for another busy day in the office. With the likes of Hazard, Costa and Pedro in the opposition ranks, it is natural that he will have to come up with another superlative display if Burnley are to get any positives out of the game.
