Chelsea will be aiming to extend their advantage at the top of the Premier League when they entertain Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Blues are currently top of the league standings with 25 points, three ahead of second-placed Liverpool. They have the chance to extend the lead with the Reds not playing until Sunday.
Meanwhile, Burnley are three points adrift of safety at the present point of time. They have the opportunity to beat the Blues for the first time since 2017 to jump out of the relegation places.
They have lost six of the previous seven meetings against them, having failed to score on four occasions. Their only point during this period came through a 2-2 away draw in 2019.
Confirmed Team News:
Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that the Blues will be without four players for the encounter. Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner picked up ankle and hamstring injuries respectively against Malmo last month.
They are out for an undefined period of time. Mateo Kovacic is also sidelined with a hamstring injury of his own. Marcos Alonso has joined them on the sidelines after sustaining an ankle injury in midweek.
There was some good news with Mason Mount available for selection after missing the last couple of games due to an illness. The playmaker had an infection related to his wisdom tooth.
The Clarets will be without Dale Stephens once again. The midfielder is still recovering from a long-term ankle injury. Aaron Lennon has a bout of illness and remains doubtful for the west London trip.
Expected Line-ups:
Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Edouard Mendy; Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger; Reece James, Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Ben Chilwell; Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech; Kai Havertz.
Burnley (4-4-2): Nick Pope; Matthew Lowton, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, Charlie Taylor; Johann Gudmundsson, Ashley Westwood, Josh Brownhill, Dwight McNeil; Maxwel Cornet; Chris Wood.
Prediction:
The Blues are missing key strikers at the moment, but they have continued to flourish with their defenders standing out with goal contributions. They have conceded just once from open play in the Premier League this term, and the Clarets could have another tough outing on the road.
Chelsea 2-0 Burnley
