Following their 2-1 away loss at the hands of Leicester City last weekend, Burnley face another stern test tomorrow as they are due to host Chelsea at Turf Moor.
Sean Dyche’s men have been decent in the Premier League campaign so far. They have collected 12 points from 9 games and are currently eighth in the league standings.
The Blues, however, are in a rich vein of form as they have secured six wins on the trot. Impliedly, Burnley will step into the upcoming clash as the underdogs.
Burnley Team News
Chris Wood is doubtful for the game at the weekend owing to a hamstring problem. However, Jack Cork and Ashley Barnes are expected to be available for selection after recovering from their injuries.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson will be on the sidelines for several weeks due to the hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Danny Drinkwater is set to return to full training next week as he steps up his return from an ankle injury.
Burnley Predicted Lineup vs Chelsea (4-4-2)
Defence
Nick Pope is the undisputed first-choice custodian for Burnley and is set to be stationed between the sticks this weekend against the London based outfit.
Ben Mee and James Tarkowski have cemented their positions in the central defence and both of them are seemingly likely to get to start as usual.
Against the Foxes, Tarkowski was rock-solid at the back and notably, he made 1 tackle and won 4 aerial duels during the previous game.
Meanwhile, Erik Pieters and Matthew Lowton are expected to start as the full-backs. It will be interesting to see how they fare against Callum Hudson-Odoi and Willian.
Pieters and Lowton have to gallop forward regularly to create crosses and considering the lethal attacking arsenal of Chelsea, they must trackback timely to defend as well.
Midfield
Jack Cork and Ashley Westwood are likely to start in the central midfield. The latter made 4 tackles against Brendan Rodgers’ side last weekend and is in a good form.
Dwight McNeil could take up the left flank, Jeff Hendrick could start on the opposite side and these two will play an instrumental role in the upcoming clash.
While McNeil has 3 assists to his name after 9 league outings, Hendrick has scored 2 goals in 6 league appearances and their industry in the final third will be crucial.
Attack
With Wood unlikely to be risked, Jay Rodriguez is expected to keep his place up front. Alongside Rodriguez, Barnes could be shown the green light to start.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored