Two late winners have helped Chelsea get the season off to a perfect start, but the wait for a clean sheet goes on. Chelsea’s last clean sheet at Stamford Bridge came in November 2015! The club’s intentions to strengthen the back four took a hit after the £35 million bid for AC Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli was rejected. The familiar back four of Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Gary Cahill, and Cesar Azpilicueta will continue on Saturday when Burnley are the visitors. After a surprise 2-0 win over Liverpool, this is probably the worst time to face the newly promoted club.
Bet365 odds show Chelsea are firm favourites, but Burnley are almost certain to play the same way as they did against Liverpool – sit back with two banks of four and let the two forwards press with a lot of intensity. Chelsea need an early goal in order to change the dynamics of the game. One of the must haves in a game of this nature is a player like Cesc Fabregas. Conte will be making a huge mistake by selecting Nemanja Matic ahead of Fabregas.
One of the big positives for Antonio Conte is the form of striker Michy Batshuayi. Diego Costa is also in excellent form with two goals in two. The defence has been the exact opposite with no clean sheets – even against League One Bristol Rovers in the EFL Cup – so far this season. Chelsea may regret the decision to loan out the likes of Tomas Kalas and Nathan Ake, as the defensive crisis has only worsened after the injury to youngster Ola Aina.
Sam Vokes and Andre Gray are the biggest threat for Burnley, while young defender Michael Keane has shown mature performances for his age.
Quality of the so-called lesser teams has increased dramatically in the Premier League. Chelsea are definitely not going to have an easy game on Saturday, but the blues have sufficient quality up front to come out with another victory.
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