At a Glance:
Arsenal host Burnley in the Premier League on Monday night.
The Gunners have the opportunity to move one step closer to winning the title.
Here’s how Mikel Arteta might set his team up against the Clarets.
Arsenal can take a huge step towards winning the Premier League title by beating Burnley at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night.
With Manchester City two points behind the Gunners with two matches remaining, Mikel Arteta’s side know that two wins will guarantee their status as champions. They’ll also be acutely aware that if they draw one of their two matches, it could come down to goal difference.
In that nail-biting scenario, the North Londoners will only have one opportunity to drastically improve their goal difference, and it could be against already-relegated Burnley. The Clarets have endured a miserable season and have conceded more goals this term than any other Premier League team, and by some distance – there is certainly scope for Arsenal to stat-pad their goals scored column against Michael Jackson’s outfit.
That said, Jackson has insisted that his team will be up to the challenge, warning Arteta that Burnley don’t plan to lie down and let the party commence. Regardless, it shouldn’t ultimately matter what Burnley produce. They are where they are for a reason – they have the worst underlying metrics in the division.
City travel to the south coast to face Bournemouth 24 hours after the Gunners’ clash with the Lancashire side. Pep Guardiola’s men may make this trip knowing that only a win will keep them in the title race, but only if Arsenal do their job on Monday.
Date Result Competition
01/11/2025 Burnley 0-2 Arsenal Premier League
17/02/2024 Burnley 0-5 Arsenal Premier League
11/11/2023 Arsenal 3-1 Burnley Premier League
23/01/2022 Arsenal 0-0 Burnley Premier League
18/09/2021 Burnley 0-1 Arsenal Premier League
06/03/2021 Burnley 1-1 Arsenal Premier League
Arsenal team news vs Burnley, Riccardo Calafiori injury update
Arsenal’s squad is largely fit heading into the encounter against Burnley. However, they have a few major injury concerns, which will force Arteta to adapt.
Most notably, the Spaniard has no senior right-backs available. Ben White is out for the season after sustaining an MCL injury against West Ham, while Jurrien Timber is still recovering from the setback that has kept him out for two months now.
Elsewhere, long-term absentee Mikel Merino remains unavailable with his foot issue, although the Spaniard is said to be nearing a possible return before the end of the season.
Meanwhile, Riccardo Calafiori was substituted at half-time of Arsenal’s game against West Ham due to a supposed knock. The Italian has been pictured in training this week, however, and should be ready to face the Clarets.
Predicted Arsenal line-up vs Burnley
Arteta has a number of potential options available to him, although it’s possible he opts for continuity at this critical stage of the season. The Spaniard has picked the same starting eleven in each of the last three matches, and it would be no surprise if he sticks with this team for the rest of the campaign.
However, with goal difference potentially something to consider, he should deploy a more offensive team that can rack up the goals. Cristhian Mosquera is the most likely candidate to fill in for the injured defenders at right-back, while Calafiori will likely retain his spot on the other side.
In midfield, Arteta should trial using Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard as offensive number eights, with Declan Rice at the base. While it’s a risk to play around with different formulas now, he has to try something that will elicit the most threatening attacking performance.
Rank Team Pts Pld GD
1 Arsenal 79 36 +42
2 Man City 77 36 +33
This will also allow him to include Odegaard, who was magnificent off the bench against West Ham, as well as Eze, and the in-form Leandro Trossard. Viktor Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka will complete the attack.
Predicted Arsenal line-up vs Burnley: Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Odegaard, Eze; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.
Arsenal vs Burnley Prediction
While Burnley did put up a spirited 2-2 draw against Aston Villa in their last outing, they’ve not won in the league since February 11th, when they beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. This was one of just two away wins on their travels this term, and thus, they should be no match for an Arsenal side gunning for the title.
If the Gunners can get their noses in front early on, then this could be a rout. If they struggle to find the opener for a while, things could get tense, and they could falter. Everything depends on the opening half an hour.
Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Burnley