Second from bottom Burnley play league leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday desperate to spring a shock result and get their survival campaign back on track
The Pre-amble:
The Clarets are currently in a desperate position and will certainly need a miracle or two over the next seven games. The 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford last Wednesday night was the first match in a sequence of eight against clubs in the top ten of the Premier League with seven of those against top seven teams. The defeat against United with other clubs around us picking up points saw Burnley drop back into the relegation zone and they are now in 19th position only four points clear of bottom club Leicester. Burnley have 21 points from 25 games and have now won only one match in ten games and just to rub salt in the wounds the Clarets now face a visit to Stamford Bridge on Saturday against league leaders Chelsea. Burnley need points from somewhere if they are to avoid relegation but it is hard to see where the next one is going to come from with such a horrendous schedule underway. There is still all to play for in the sense that Hull in 16th spot have only two more points than the Clarets but all the clubs around us now appear to have a much easier sequence of games than Burnley and could begin to pull clear. Nothing seems to be going right at the moment and that was echoed recently when we lost Dean Marney to a cruciate ligament injury which will keep him sidelined until the end of the season. It was the one crucial area of the park in centre midfield where we had little squad cover having miserably failed to supplement the squad in any position during the transfer window. At least against United we gave a good account of ourselves and indeed some would say we were the better team despite the 3-1 defeat. Sadly its points we need though not condolences and commendations for effort. Oh well the scene is now set for our most difficult game of the season. Can the ‘Ginger Mourinho` pull off a shock result against the real, Special One? Who knows, it certainly looks unlikely but stranger things have happened.
What can you say about Chelsea that nobody knows? Nothing probably but the facts are scary! José Mourinho`s men are of course top of the Premier League and are currently seven points clear of second club, Manchester City. In Diego Costa they have a £32 million striker who has already scored 17 goals for the Blues since arriving from Atletico Madrid last July. Burnley fans may have been hoping he would still be banned after standing on Liverpool’s Emre Can in January but no his three-match ban has been completed and he played from the start last night in Chelsea`s Champions League game away to Paris St-Germain. The match finished 1-1 but there is little chance any of the players will be tired come Saturday and in any case they have such depth in their squad it hardly matters! Burnley will at least be fresh having had a nine day rest with last weekend being devoted to the FA Cup. Speaking of the FA Cup at least League One Bradford City got the better of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge knocking them out of the competition following a shock 4-2 win last month. It was of course against a rotated Chelsea squad but it confirms that they are not invincible and that there is at least still some hope for Burnley on Saturday. That defeat though was the only one for Chelsea in ten games and so far this season they have only lost three times in all competitions (39 matches!)
Oh woe, woe and thrice woe! Burnley time to upset the applecart!
Chelsea Team News:
Is the Special One trying to pull a fast one? Jose Mourinho has claimed that he was forced to select five unfit players for Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday night. Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas by all accounts has been struggling with illness in the last few days but he still started the PSG game. Oscar and Willian are also reported to have picked up minor injuries but they too both featured against Paris Saint-Germain. John Obi Mikel though did miss out and has been sidelined now for three games after picking up a minor knee injury.
Player to watch: Gary Cahill
Gary Cahill has come a long way since he played for Burnley under Steve Cotterill following a loan spell from Aston Villa. Burnley fans always knew he had great potential and he was a firm favourite whilst at Turf Moor and also picked up the accolades of Burnley’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in the 2004-5 season. In January 2008, Cahill joined Bolton Wanderers on a three-and-a-half-year deal before signing for Chelsea in January 2012 for what was believed to be for a fee around the region of £7 million. The 29 year old England International centre back will be tasked with trying to keep Danny Ings and Ashley Barnes at bay whilst somehow our defence has to keep Costa and the rest quiet! Some ask!!
Burnley Team News:
Burnley now have two players out for the rest of the season due to cruciate ligament injuries. Kevin Long who sustained his knee injury in the Newcastle game on New Year`s Day at St James Park is now joined by Dean Marney on the treatment table. Marney picked up his injury in the first half of the home game against West Brom earlier this month. Matty Taylor (Achilles surgery) is making progress but once again looks set to remain sidelined. Stephen Ward is also still recovering from an ankle injury.
Player to watch: Tom Heaton
It could be a busy afternoon for the keeper and he will certainly need to be in top form against one of the most prolific attacks in the division.
Team & Tactics:
Sean Dyche was forced to make his first change to the starting eleven in eleven games against Manchester United last week. It was inevitable with so few options in the centre of midfield that Scott Arfield would be selected to play there in light of the injury to Dean Marney. Michael Kightly replaced him on the wing. It looks likely that the same eighteen could be named again so we can expect the following line-up:
Heaton, Trippier, Shackell, Keane, Mee, Kightly, Arfield, Jones, Boyd, Ings, Barnes
Subs from: Gilks, Reid, Duff, Lafferty, Wallace, Jutkiewicz, Vokes
Ref Watch:
Martin Atkinson is in charge of this clash and this will be the second time this season he will have been the referee in a match involving the Clarets. The West Yorkshire referee has sent off four players and handed out 114 yellow cards so far this season in his 30 games including 4 yellow cards in our match away to Stoke City last November. We won that one 2-1 so it could be a good omen. That victory at the Britannia has so far been our only one on the road but Chelsea will certainly be a far more difficult task.
Match Prediction:
I am trying to convince myself that somehow we can get at least a point at Stamford Bridge but I am failing miserably and can see nothing but a heavy defeat. Sorry chaps, let`s hope I am wrong and we can at least give a good account of ourselves. 3-1 Chelsea if we are lucky!
Next Match:
Our next game is at home to Swansea on Saturday 28th February (Kick-Off: 3pm). At least the Swans are only in 9th position considering that between February 11th and April 11th, seven of the eight games will have been against clubs currently in the top seven!
