Two former Premier League stars have delivered their predictions on Burnley’s home game with Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Burnley will face one of their toughest assignments of the season when they host current Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.
The Gunners will arrive at Turf Moor looking to extend their impressive run of form to just one defeat in their opening ten league games of the season as a 1-0 defeat against reigning champions Liverpool currently the only negative on their record so far. Mikel Arteta’s men are also aiming to rack up a fifth consecutive league win after they saw off Crystal Palace, Fulham, West Ham United and Newcastle United over the last month, conceding just a solitary goal in the process.
However, there is a quiet confidence around Burnley as they have shown a mini upturn in form in recent weeks and have boosted their hopes of extending their Premier League stay beyond a solitary season. Scott Parker’s men have claimed maximum points from their last two games after securing a 2-0 home win against Leeds United before a last-gasp Lyle Foster strike helped the Clarets to a 3-2 victory at bottom of the table Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Securing maximum points against two of their relegation rivals has been a boost - but the size of the task facing Parker and his squad on Saturday is all too clear to see as they face a Gunners side that many people believe are Premier League champions in waiting as several of their title rivals have struggled to find momentum so far this season. But how do former Premier League winners predict Burnley will fare against Arsenal this weekend?
What has Paul Merson said about Burnley v Arsenal?
The Sky Sports pundit believes the Celtic job is harder than most people think.placeholder image
The Sky Sports pundit believes the Celtic job is harder than most people think. | Manchester United via Getty Imag
Writing for SportKeeda, the former Arsenal man said: “The way Arsenal are playing, if Burnley can even get a shot on goal, it's a job well done! That's how good Arsenal are. I read this crazy stat the other day - if Arsenal would have conceded a goal from every shot they faced this season, they would still have 13 or 14 points at this stage. That stat is just out of this world. Arsenal have been compared to Jose Mourinho's Chelsea of the past. The difference between that Chelsea team and Arsenal is that they did it for the whole season. Arsenal have only done it for nine games, and still have three quarters of the season left to play.
“If Arsenal want to be as good as that Chelsea team, they have to concede not more than four goals in every nine games coming up. If that happens in this day and age, it will quite simply be unbelievable. I said on 19th September that if Arsenal get four points out of their games against Manchester City and Newcastle United, they win the league. Arsenal did it and I stand by what I said. In fact, the title race could be done and dusted in the next two weeks!
“Arsenal face Burnley and Sunderland before the international break, while Liverpool have Aston Villa and Manchester City. I expect Arsenal to win both them games and I'm not backing Liverpool to win this weekend. If City and Liverpool then take points off each other in gameweek 11, I think Arsenal will win the league quite comfortably. I even believe Arsenal could enjoy a good run in the Champions League because by the time it reaches the latter stages, we could be looking at a situation where they would have sealed the league title already! 0-2”
What has Chris Sutton said about Burnley v Arsenal?
Chris Sutton has shared his take on Wolves' upcoming home match with Burnley.placeholder image
Chris Sutton has shared his take on Wolves' upcoming home match with Burnley. | Getty Images
Writing in his BBC Sport predictions column, the former Celtic striker said: “Arsenal know how to win games in so many different ways, and that puts them in an unbelievably strong position. They have got flair players, but also have this amazing record of scoring from set-pieces and are strong defensively too. We talk about machines when I go up against AI or a computer game at predictions but, let's face it, Arsenal are a machine at the moment and no-one is stopping them.
“There have been prettier Gunners teams than this, but they are just so effective and they don't concede. That's why we might see a fair few results where it is '1-0 to the Arsenal' - as their old song under George Graham in the 1990s used to go - but when they hit the straps there will still be games where they take teams apart. Like the other promoted teams, Burnley have been really competitive and ran Liverpool and Manchester City close earlier in the season, despite losing on both occasions.
“The Clarets' late win at Wolves last week was a massive result for them and it really takes the pressure off them here. You don't get many free hits in the Premier League but this is one of them - Burnley are probably not going to get anything out of this game, but it doesn't matter too much. I am expecting Scott Parker's side to be robust, keep it close, and stay in the game, which is a sign of where they are at... but Arsenal will still win - and you can probably guess what score I am going for. 0-1.”
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