Preview:Burnley vs Arsenal – prediction, team news, lineups

Trekking to a ground where they have never lost in the Premier League, an Arsenal side who can do no wrong visit Burnley in Saturday’s top-flight battle at Turf Moor.

Mikel Arteta‘s men have secured an excellent eight wins on the spin in all competitions, but the Clarets also have reason to celebrate after back-to-back triumphs.

Match preview

Rewriting the history books once again on Wednesday evening, a juvenile, second-string Arsenal side were predicted to be given a rough ride by EFL Cup fourth-round opponents Brighton & Hove Albion, who had struck a tremendous 12 goals in the tournament’s first two rounds.

However, in keeping with the theme of the Gunners’ stellar season so far, Arteta’s men kept their customary clean sheet – despite some promising openings from the Seagulls – and struck twice in open play through Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka in a 2-0 victory.

October was anything but a Halloween horror show for Arsenal, who in midweek set a new English football record by becoming the first top-flight team to play six games in a single month and not concede one goal in any of them – a testament to their well-documented defensive majesty.

That streak includes an Eberechi Eze-inspired 1-0 triumph over Crystal Palace last weekend, where a near-perfect gameweek also saw Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea lose while Arsenal opened up a four-point lead at the Premier League summit.

The visitors can now win four top-flight games in a row without conceding for the first time since Arteta’s playing days in 2014, and the Burnley faithful will not be best pleased to learn that Arsenal have won each of their last 13 Premier League matches against newly-promoted teams.

In fact, the Gunners have been bested just once in their last 24 Premier League matches against teams to have competed in the Championship the previous season – that solitary loss came against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in May 2023.

Furthermore, not since 1973 have Arsenal suffered defeat in a league match away to Burnley, who did claim a 2008 EFL Cup win at home to a youthful Gunners side but were most recently slaughtered 5-0 in 2024.

Head-to-head history is not always a solid indicator of future performance, though, and Scott Parker‘s Burnley are bouncing at this moment in time, having taken down Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United in the last two Premier League gameweeks.

The Clarets’ absorbing 3-2 success over Wolves last time out lifted them five points clear of the relegation zone and also prolonged a pleasing attacking sequence for the hosts, who have scored in each of their last six games in all tournaments.

The only team to prevent Burnley from registering at Turf Moor this season so far was reigning champions Liverpool, but the Clarets must match a 50-year feat if they are to defy the rankings this weekend – they have not claimed a top-flight win against the team starting the day in first place since 1975.

Burnley Premier League form:

Burnley form (all competitions):

Arsenal Premier League form:

Arsenal form (all competitions):

Team News

Arsenal sustained no fresh concerns in their midweek win over Brighton, but their success over Palace last weekend came at a cost, as Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori, William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli picked up unspecified issues.

Rice and Calafiori shook off their concerns relatively quickly, but Saliba and Martinelli remain major doubts for Saturday’s fixture – the latter is feared to have suffered a muscular problem, so a start for Leandro Trossard is virtually guaranteed.

Knee quartet Gabriel Jesus, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are not expected to return this side of the international break, but the latter three could be back in time for the North London derby next month.

On Burnley’s end, Lesley Ugochukwu was a late enforced change in the five-goal thriller with Wolves, but there are no serious concerns about the midfielder’s availability for Saturday.

However, Jordan Beyer (hamstring), Zeki Amdouni (knee) and Connor Roberts (knee) remain in the treatment room, and none of the trio is expected back before the end of the calendar year.

Provider of two assists at Molineux, left-back Quilindschy Hartman has now set up four goals in the Premier League so far this season, although all of his contributions have come on the road.

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Walker, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Hartman; Florentino, Cullen; Bruun Larsen, Ugochukwu, Anthony; Flemming

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard

We say: Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Injuries may still be biting Arteta’s men as the cold weather begins to bite, but the Spaniard’s big-hitters are well-rested, well-oiled and still impenetrable at the back.

Burnley’s penchant for goals will surely prove powerless against the leaders’ rearguard, and via set-pieces or open play, the Gunners should score more than once en route to consecutive win number nine.

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