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Chelsea sit two points above Liverpool in the race for Champions League qualification.
Chelsea have the chance to pull clear of Liverpool in the race for Champions League qualification when they face Burnley.
The London outfit welcome the Premier League strugglers to Stamford Bridge on Saturday. A victory for Chelsea will see them move into fourth spot, leapfrogging Manchester United, and will edge five points ahead of sixth-placed Liverpool. The Reds are not in action until they travel to Nottingham Forest the following day.
Chelsea are heavy favourites to beat Burnley. However, the Clarets did come from two goals behind to beat Crystal Palace in their previous league game. In addition, Chelsea will again be without key defender Marc Cucurella. The left-back continues with a hamstring injury, with head coach Liam Rosenior unsure when Curcurella will be back.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Rosenior said: “I can’t give a timescale with Marc. He has a hamstring injury. It’s a real shame. He’s one of the best left-backs in the world. We have Jorrel [Hato], we have Mamadou [Sarr]. The sooner he gets back, the better.”
Rosenior also admitted that Chelsea continue to be cautious with influential duo Cole Palmer and Reece James. The pair have had well-documented fitness problems this season.
Rosenior added: “I’ve been asked about Reece and Cole before. It’s day by day. It’s how each player feels. They trained well today, they’re both fit and available for selection. Having both players available makes our team better.”
Along with Cucurella, Chelsea will be without Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia, Jamie Gittens, Filip Jorgensen and Dario Essugo against Burnley.
Liverpool, meanwhile, head to Forest being boosted by Dominik Szoboszlai’s return from suspension in the Premier League. The Reds’ talisman missed last week’s 1-0 win at Sunderland, although he was back for 3-0 FA Cup win over Brighton.
In addition, head coach Arne Slot believes that Joe Gomez is able to start after recovering from a hip problem. Liverpool are without a recognised right-back, with Jeremie Frimpong still recovering from a groin issue and Conor Bradely ruled our for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Wataru Endo, who deputised at Sunderland, suffered a serious foot injury at the Stadium of Light while Curtis Jones played as a makeshift right-back against Brighton.
A win for Liverpool against Forest would see them move ahead of bitter foes Manchester United, who travel to Everton on Monday night.
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