Arsenal visits Burnley on Sunday in a match-up of two sides that have not seen their season turn out the way they hoped it would. The hosts have won their last two matches, vaulting them up to 13th in the table, but prior to that they had lost three in a row and were very much in a relegation scrap.
Currently just seven points above the drop zone, they’ll need to keep scrapping to acquire points in order to maintain a safety position. They’ll head into this match with a lot of confidence and high moral though, having just won at Old Trafford for the first time since 1962. It was a great day for Sean Dyche’s men, and another dark night for Manchester United.
As for Arsenal, well they’re slowly showing signs of progress under Mikel Arteta, but this is going to be a long, massive rebuild. Their odds of trying to reach the top four this season are long to say the least. After three seasons of being consigned to the Europa League, they’re in a position right now that could see easily seem them miss out on even UEL qualification for next term.
Team News
Burnley made a major midfield addition this January transfer window in acquiring Josh Brownhill, but the new signing was not included in the match day squad.
Ashley Barnes and Johann Berg Gudmundsson remain out due to injury, but Phil Bardsley is once again available for selection after having returned from a back issue. In flipping over to the Gunners, team captain and forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is now eligible again, having finished serving his suspension. Ditto for central defender David Luiz.
Arsenal addressed their biggest area of need this January, defense, in signing Pablo Mari and Cedric. It remains to be seen whether either or both will be available for the selection by Arteta here.
The same can be said for a trio of players: Sead Kolasinac, Shkodran Mustafi and Reiss Nelson. The trio are all battling various fitness issues that could keep them out of action. It looks like a late fitness test on Sunday before kickoff for each member of the triad.
How to Watch
The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports at 14.00 [UK time] on Sunday afternoon. Those who haven’t got access to Sky Sports can live stream the match on betpal.com so you can kick back and take in all the action from the comfort of your home.
Prediction
Google gives the Gunners a 47% chance of a victory here, while the hosts see a 26% chance for a win. There’s a 27% chance the two sides split the points. Arsenal’s road form has been underwhelming to say the least this season, but only four teams have conceded more goals than the Clarets this season.
Arsenal 3, Burnley 2
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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