Burnley v Chelsea Betting – Blues look to stretch their lead

All of the excitement in the Premier League on Saturday, will pale into comparison to what is to come on Sunday at the Emirates. Sunday sees the big clash between Arsenal v Manchester United, but before then, Chelsea have the chance to put some extra pressure on both Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson. Chelsea cruised back to the top of the league with a 3-0 home victory over Birmingham in midweek. That win leaves them one point ahead of United, and two ahead of the Gunners, but with a game in hand over them both. Another three points for Chelsea, who look to have stepped up another gear after their mini slump in December, will put extra pressure on their nearest rivals.

It is likely that one of their challengers will lose further ground in the race for the title on Sunday, so Saturday’s game against Burnley, is a chance for Chelsea to capitalise on the weekend’s fixtures. Their opponents Burnley, who lost the services of manager Owen Coyle to rivals Bolton, are losing optimism fast, and they have dropped into the relegation zone. Their future does not seem so bright for Burnley, and with Chelsea seemingly in their top irrepressible form again, scoring twelve goals in their last three matches, it is going to be tough to see them take anything away from this weekend’s match.

The Clarets are struggling for goals, and that cost them defeat in the FA Cup as well to Championship strugglers Reading. They have only managed one goal in their last five league matches, and that spells doom and gloom wherever you are in the league tiers. Adversely, they have just gone and signed another defender in the form of Celtic’s Danny Fox. Their poor 1-0 defeat against Owen Coyle’s new boys Bolton, would have been a bitter pill to swallow for the Burnley supporters. They are now in a position where they are going to have to dig very deep to get out of the hole they are in.

Chelsea have welcomed back Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou from the African Cup of Nations, but boss Carlo Ancelloti is unlikely to put them into the line up on Saturday. Chelsea have had their problems on their travels this season, with their three defeats all coming on the road. With their recent burst back into top form, the Blues are the league’s top scoring team, and for Burnley, who have one of the worst goal differences in the league, they could be in for a long evening. The last time the two sides met at Stamford Bridge the Blues ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. New Burnley boss Brian Laws won’t be relishing this one as they go in a desperate search for survival points.

BETTING STATS

Last 2 Head to Head
Chelsea 3, Burnley 0
Burnley 1, Chelsea 1

Last 5 Match Goals League
Burnley – 1 For, 9 Against
Chelsea – 13 For, 4 Against

Last 10 Match Form League
Burnley – W0, D4, L6
Chelsea – W6, D3, L1

Win Percentage
Burnley have a 50.0 win percentage at home
Chelsea have a 50.0 win percentage away from home

Match Prices:
Burnley to win: 14/1 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 9/2 at Ladbrokes
Chelsea to win: 3/10 at SkyBet

Betting Advice: This would be one of the major upsets of the season if Chelsea didn’t stroll out with a win on Saturday. Chelsea need the three points to try and keep the wolves from their door, and if they can open a four point gap at the top of the league ahead of the Arsenal v United clash, then they can sit back and probably hope for a drawn match at the Emirates. They shouldn’t need Drogba back in the line up immediately to beat Burnley, and with a busy February to come, it’s probably a good decision.
Over 2.5 goals – 4/6 at Totesport