Burnley vs Arsenal preview

Arsenal head to Turf Moor on Saturday as we look to do the double over a relegation-fighting Burnley side.

Both teams meet each other desperately needing points at the opposite sides of the table.

Having previously defeated them 3-1 at the Emirates on game week 12, Vincent Kompany’s side have been appalling at times this season.

As it stands, Burnley come into this game 19th in the table and level on points with bottom-placed Sheffield United, with 17 losses in 24 league games.

Being seven points adrift of safety, Burnley are expected to bow down to Arsenal, who come into the match as clear favourites as they look to bolster their title charge.

However, the Clarets will look to make this game as hard as they can. 

Date, kick-off time and venue

Burnley vs Arsenal is scheduled for a 3pm GMT kick-off on Saturday, February 17.

The match will take place at Turf Moor.

What TV channel is Arsenal v Burnley on?

Alas this clash has not been selected for broadcast in the UK 

You can catch up with the latest match highlights during Match of the Day every Saturday night and Match of the Day 2 on Sundays.

Is there an Arsenal v Burnley live stream online?

This match will not be shown on any live streaming platforms in the UK

Free highlights: 

Watch Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 on BBC iPlayer as well as teams' official YouTube channels after matches for all the highlights.

Sky Sports app and YouTube channel will show highlights from 515pm 

Burnely players to watch:

Burnley will be looking for their second home win of the season on Saturday and may rely on some of their key players to step up against the Gunners

David Datro Fofana

On loan from Chelsea, it’s striker D.D Fofana who I have highlighted as the main threat for Burnley against Arsenal on Saturday. Since signing in the January transfer window, he has had a large impact on the team. With 3 goal contributions in 3 games including a brace against Fulham, he is in great form and may be the man to propel Burnley out of the relegation zone this season. He will look to use his pace on the right side of the attack to cause Arsenal problems. 

Zeki Amdouni

Swiss forward Zeki Amdouni has been a glimmer of light in a dark season for Burnley. Often played as a striker in a 4-4-2 formation, Amdouni has been among the Clarets’ main contributors this season, and alongside strike partner Fofana, can pose a threat to the Arsenal backline on Saturday. 

James Trafford

Goalkeeper James Trafford should be a player to watch on Saturday. The 21-year-old has faced some of the most shots this season, and against a free-flowing Arsenal team, we expect him to be in action a lot this weekend. He will be looking to have a great performance to keep just his second league clean sheet of this year’s campaign.

On the other side of the table, Arsenal come into this match with sparkling form. We head to Turf Moor looking to create history. If we win on Saturday, it would be the first time ever that Arsenal have won their fifth straight league game at the start of a calendar year. As mentioned earlier, Arsenal faced Burnley in the reverse fixture at the Emirates and won the game 3-1. With goals from Leandro Trossard, William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko, we dispatched the Clarets in easy fashion despite a Fábio Vieira red card. Hopefully, this weekend we can complete the league double over Burnley for the first time under Arteta. 

Arsenal Team News

This season Arsenal have been hit with a few long-term injuries. It doesn’t come with much surprise that Jurrien Timber is almost certainly not going to be in the Arsenal squad on Saturday. Having damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in the opening game of the season, he has stepped up his rehab in the past few weeks. Having begun ball work during the Dubai training camp, a realistic estimate would be around a month before we see Jurrien playing a competitive fixture again.

Thomas Partey is also set to not be included in the matchday squad. While we haven’t been given a timeline for his return, it is thought that his recent setback isn’t too serious, and we should see him playing again in a few weeks. It’s a similar situation for Fábio Vieira, who is on the mend from groin surgery and is targeting a return for the game against Porto. He won’t be playing this weekend either.

We also have a few doubts for the game. There is uncertainty over Oleskandr Zinchenko and Emile Smith-Rowe, who were both absent over the last match against West Ham. However, with Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu, there is more confidence that they can return to the matchday squad. Of course, all four players will be assessed before the game.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

Burnley wins: 34

Draws: 24

Arsenal wins: 56

Predicted XIs:

Burnley: Trafford, Assignon, O’Shea, Esteve, Vitinho, Ramsey, Berge, Brownhill, Odobert, Amdouni, Fofana

Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Rice, Ødegaard, Havertz, Martinelli, Trossard, Saka

Prediction: Burnley 1-3 Arsenal

Vincent Kompany’s team likes to play on the front foot, so I think there will be goals. Whilst Burnley have the home advantage, I think that our form in the past weeks cannot be ignored. For that reason, I think Arsenal will control the game as the better side and emerge victorious.

Aariyan Ludhor @_xtratime_