New boss, but similar result for Chelsea FC in midweek, as the Blues still can’t seem to score. Thomas Tuchel took control of the southwest London side on Tuesday and his first match saw a goalless draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The end of the Frank Lampard era experienced a major drop-off in offensive production, and they’ll hope to change that on Sunday when they host Burnley FC in their next Premier League fixture.
Chelsea vs Burnley FYIs
Kickoff: 12pm GMT Sun. Jan 31, Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction: go here
Odds: Chelsea win -278, Draw +375, Burnley win +750
Head to Head: Chelsea wins 9, Draws 3, Burnley wins 1
TV: BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate
Streaming: BT Sport website or BT Sport app
Team News
For Burnley, left back Charlie Taylor is likely out with a chronic issue while striker Ashley Barnes (unspecified knock) faces a late fitness test. Meanwhile midfielder Josh Brownhill suffered a foot injury last time out. Flipping over to Chelsea, their only fitness concern is midfielder N’Golo Kante, who just returned to training yesterday.
Perhaps we’ll see American Christian Pulisic make his first start for Tuchel in a Chelsea shirt here, as the 22-year-old was limited to only substitute minutes the last time out. Tuchel has worked with the USMNT star before, at Borussia Dortmund, so he is expected to be a big part of the new boss’ plans at Stamford Bridge.
Prediction: Chelsea 2, Burnley 0
The Clarets fell 3-0 in the reverse fixture on Halloween, the match that saw Pulisic get hurt in the warmups. It also saw Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, and Kurt Zouma put the ball in the net, and we’re thinking somebody, somewhere will find a way for the hosts here.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, 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,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.