Chelsea will be eager to continue the recent unbeaten run when they lock horns with Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.
The dreaded international break is finally behind us, and club football is resuming this weekend. The 2025/26 Premier League season continues with Gameweek 12, with the latest round of fixtures kick-starting with Burnley vs Chelsea at Turf Moor.
Burnley will face another campaign battling the relegation dogfight, as they are only outside the drop zone due to goal difference. The Clarets have been impressive due to their dogged approach while adding some much-needed goals in the final third. However, a two-match losing run has taken Burnley close to the bottom three, and they must start racking up points in the coming weeks.
On the other hand, Chelsea’s downturn in form after the first international break of the 2025/26 season was a false alarm. While the Blues have not been convincing enough in the last few weeks, they have found ways to rack up points and climb in the Premier League standings. Enzo Maresca’s men have amassed four wins in their five most recent top-flight matches to go into November’s international break in the third spot on the table.
Chelsea came from a goal down to beat Burnley 4-1 the last time these teams locked horns at Turf Moor in a Premier League match. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Burnley
Scott Parker has a new injury concern that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Burnley manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs Chelsea on Saturday.
Armando Broja is the latest absentee after picking up an ankle injury during international duty for Albania. The former Chelsea striker has joined Jordan Beyer (hamstring), Connor Roberts (Achilles), and Zeki Amdouni (knee) in the treatment room.
Martin Dubravka will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Burnley lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Saturday. The backline will feature Kyle Walker, Axel Tuanzebe, Maxime Esteve, and Quilindschy Hartman.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Florentino Luis and Josh Cullen in the double pivot, with former Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Zian Flemming will lead the line for Burnley against Chelsea, with Jacob Bruun Larsen and Jaidon Anthony being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Dubravka; Walker, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Hartman; Florentino, Cullen; Bruun Larsen, Ugochukwu, Anthony; Flemming
Chelsea
Unlike his counterpart in the Burnley dugout, Enzo Maresca has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Turf Moor. The Chelsea manager will be without only five first-team players on Saturday.
Benoit Badiashile (muscular), Moises Caicedo (knock), Enzo Fernandez (knee), and Pedro Neto (groin) have regained fitness after their recent issues. However, Levi Colwill (knee), Dario Essugo (hamstring), Romeo Lavia (thigh), and Cole Palmer (groin) remain in the treatment room. Additionally, Mykhailo Mudryk is still serving a suspension after failing a doping test several months ago.
Robert Sanchez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Chelsea lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Burnley on Saturday. The backline will feature Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, and Marc Cucurella.
As for the midfield unit, Reece James and Moises Caicedo should pair up in the double pivot, with Enzo Fernandez being a backup option on the bench. Joao Pedro will reprise the no. 10 role, with Alejandro Garnacho and Estevao Willian being the two wide attackers. Finally, Liam Delap will spearhead the Chelsea attack against Burnley on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Estevao, Joao Pedro, Garnacho; Delap
Key Stats
- Burnley have won only one of their 18 Premier League games vs Chelsea (D5 L12), picking up a 3-2 victory at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the 2017/18 season. The Blues have won eight of their nine Premier League away matches against Burnley (D1), including the six most recent meetings. Only against Bolton Wanderers (9 between 2004 and 2011) and Sunderland (9 between 2003 and 2013) have they won more consecutively on the road in the competition.
- Burnley have lost four of their last six Premier League matches (W2), conceding two or more goals in five of those outings. The Clarets have kept only two clean sheets in their 31 most recent Premier League games, shipping 64 goals in this period (2.1 per game).
- Chelsea have won their last two Premier League away games without conceding a goal; the Blues most recently won three successive matches on the road in the competition while keeping a clean sheet each time in November 2021 (4).
- In the Premier League this season, Burnley have mustered the fewest shots (90), lowest xG (8.3), lowest possession (38.6%), faced the most shots (192), and conceded the highest xGA (24.0). Since Opta started compiling this data available (from 2012/13), the Clarets are the only side to rank poorest for each metric in a campaign in the top flight.
- Zian Flemming has scored three goals in four Premier League starts for Burnley; the only player to score four or more goals in his first five starts in the competition for the Clarets is Maxwel Cornet (4).
Player to Watch
Joao Pedro
While Alejandro Garnacho, Zian Flemming, and Jaidon Anthony were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Joao Pedro as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Burnley and Chelsea at Turf Moor.
The Brazilian international has scored in Chelsea’s last two Premier League games, and he could score in three successive appearances in the competition for only the second time, having previously done so in February/March last season for Brighton & Hove Albion.
However, Pedro has never scored in four games against Burnley in the Premier League, only facing Brentford (7) and Everton (5) more times without finding the back of the net. So, he will be eager to break his duck against Burnley this weekend.
Prediction
Burnley 1-2 Chelsea
Burnley may rank lowest on many crucial underlying metrics, but they will not go down without a fight in any game. Scott Parker has forged a resolute group of players, and they will take the game to Chelsea this weekend. It may not even be surprising if the Clarets open the scoring.
However, Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro are in fine form, and the attacking duo will deliver the goods in the final third and seal the three points for the away side. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.