Burnley FC
Arsenal FC
Arsenal FC
Arsenal take on Burnley aiming for greater consistency to end the season
Arsenal to win 2-1
With 12 games of the season remaining, there is just about enough time for Arsenal to make a late dash for the top six, but must kick into gear now if they are to stand any chance.
They have hovered around midtable or lower for much of the season, but with most sides above them also suffering from inconsistency, could capitalise with a late push.
The Gunners showed an impressive turn of form to beat Leicester last weekend, a team going for Champions League football next season, and will be looking to channel that kind of performance here.
As for Burnley, despite winning just one of their six matches, teams below them continue to drop points in the battle for survival. They are six points clear of 18th placed Fulham are will be confident about their chances of staying up.
Can either side find the breakthrough here?
Form Guide (all comps): WDDLD
Reasons to be cheerful:
Aiming to complete a league double over the Gunners
Are tough to beat right now
Reasons to be fearful:
Haven’t beaten Arsenal at Turf Moor since 1973
Tough run of fixtures
Burnley are continuing to collect valuable points at this stage of the season, with just one league defeat coming from their last six matches.
It means they have been able to keep their distance from the likes of Brighton, Newcastle and Fulham below them.
Scoring goals remains a problem, of course, with Sheffield United the only side scoring fewer than Burnley this season. Here, Ashley Barnes remains out injured, though Brady and Gudmundsson should be back to complement Wood in attack.
Against Arsenal, whom they beat earlier in the season, there is no reason why they can’t continue their unbeaten streak, though have played a midweek game, whereas Arsenal have had the week off.
Star Man – Chris Wood
His return against Leicester added a real focal point to the side, and Burnley are much better when he plays.
Form Guide (all comps): WDLWW
Reasons to be cheerful:
Good record away to Burnley
Have scored three goals in successive matches
Reasons to be fearful:
Have lost 11 matches this season – an incredible amount for a big club
Were poor as they lost to Burnley earlier in the season
Against the big sides, Arsenal have an impressive record under Mikel Arteta, beating Manchester United, Chelsea and now Leicester after a powerful performance last weekend.
Despite falling behind early in that game, they showed the kind of resilience required to push on further up the table during the last couple of months of the season, but can they show the consistency?
Going away to Burnley is usually a positive experience for the Gunners, having left unbeaten on the last eight occasions.
They’ve also found greater success at putting the ball in the back of the net recently, having scored 11 goals in their last six games, including three in each of the last two.
Here, they must once again be positive against a Burnley side who will undoubtedly set themselves up to not be beaten.
Star Man – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The striker has hit form recently and loves playing against Burnley, with his seven goals making them his favourite club to score against.
Arsenal are favourites
The Gunners to see more possession
A tight scoreline
Burnley are a side comfortable with playing much of the game without the ball, but can break forward quickly when needed.
Arsenal will enjoy most of the possession here but can they make it count? They’ve only won back-to-back matches on three occasions this season, but if they can do it for a fourth time, it could spur them up the table.
Arsenal to win 2-1
