Chelsea will aim to continue the solid start to life under Liam Rosenior when they welcome Burnley to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The 2025/26 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 27. The latest round of fixtures will kick off on Saturday with three successive matches, including Chelsea vs Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
Liam Rosenior has been hot off the blocks as the Chelsea head coach, winning eight of the 11 games he has overseen thus far. The two defeats came against Arsenal in the EFL Cup semi-final, and the only other blemish was the 2-2 draw with Leeds United last week. That stalemate stopped the West London outfit from reclaiming a spot in the top four, and they remain a point behind Manchester United.
On the other hand, Burnley returned to winning ways in the Premier League last week, as they came from two goals down to beat Crystal Palace 3-2 to keep their hopes of remaining in the top flight alive. However, the Clarets bowed out of the FA Cup this past weekend by suffering a 2-1 defeat to Mansfield Town.
The reverse fixture ended in a 2-0 win for Chelsea, with Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Liam Rosenior has no new issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Chelsea head coach will be bereft of the services of over half a dozen first-team players vs Burnley on Saturday.
Filip Jorgensen (muscular), Marc Cucurella (hamstring), Dario Essugo (thigh), and Romeo Lavia (match fitness) are closing in on returning from their fitness issues. However, Saturday’s game has come too soon for the quartet. Meanwhile, Levi Colwill (knee) and Jamie Gittens (hamstring) are long-term absentees, while Mykhailo Mudryk continues his 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 Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Jorrel Hato.
As for the midfield unit, Andrey Santos and Moises Caicedo will pair up in the double pivot, with Enzo Fernandez reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Joao Pedro will lead the line for Chelsea against Burnley, with Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Hato; Santos, Caicedo; Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Neto; Pedro
Burnley
Like his counterpart in the Chelsea dugout, Scott Parker has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge. The Burnley manager will be without seven first-team players on Saturday.
Connor Roberts (Achilles), Axel Tuanzebe (heel), Jordan Beyer (thigh), Mike Tresor (ankle), Armando Broja (knock), and Zeki Amdouni (knee) are in the treatment room. Meanwhile, Josh Cullen (knee) is a long-term absentee.
Martin Dubravka is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Burnley lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Chelsea on Saturday. The central defensive unit will feature Josh Laurent, Joe Worrall, and Maxime Esteve. Meanwhile, Kyle Walker and Bashir Humphreys will be the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will primarily protect the two centre-backs but also provide width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Lesley Ugochukwu and Hannibal Mejbri will pair up in the double pivot, while Marcus Edwards and Jaidon Anthony will reprise advanced roles. Finally, Zian Flemming will spearhead the Burnley attack against Chelsea on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Dubravka; Laurent, Worrall, Esteve; Walker, Ugochukwu, Hannibal, Humphreys; Edwards, Anthony; Flemming
Key Stats
- Chelsea have lost only one of their 19 Premier League games vs Burnley (W13 D5), going down 3-2 at home on the opening weekend of the 2017/18 season. However, seven of Burnley’s eight Premier League points against Chelsea have come at Stamford Bridge. It is the highest share of points (87.5%) one side has won away against another among teams to face each other more than ten times.
- Chelsea have lost 2-1 at home to Sunderland and 3-1 away at Leeds United this season. They have never lost to all three promoted sides in a Premier League campaign before.
- Burnley have conceded at least twice in their last eight Premier League away games against London clubs. However, they beat Crystal Palace 3-2 in their most recent game, but have only once before won on consecutive visits to the capital in the same season (vs Crystal Palace and West Ham United in 2019/20).
- Chelsea have dropped more points from winning positions in Premier League home games than any other side this season (15). Only in 1995/96 (20) and 2015/16 (16) did they drop more at Stamford Bridge in a campaign.
- No team has scored in more Premier League games than Chelsea this season (24), with the West London club’s only two blanks coming in goalless draws with Crystal Palace in August and Bournemouth in December. On the other hand, Burnley have not kept a clean sheet in their last 23 Premier League away games since a 2-0 win at Fulham in December 2023. It is the longest run by a side in the competition since Aston Villa went 26 games between February 2016 and July 2020.
Player to Watch
Cole Palmer
While Enzo Fernandez, Zian Flemming, and Jaidon Anthony were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Cole Palmer as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
The English international has been involved in 14 goals in his 12 Premier League starts for Chelsea against promoted sides (G8 A6), the first game of which included a goal and assist against Burnley in October 2023.
Meanwhile, Palmer has been on an incredible run since regaining fitness, scoring four goals and providing an assist in his last two outings. So, it is hardly surprising that he is a captaincy candidate in FPL heading into Gameweek 27. The Englishman will also be Enzo Maresca’s go-to player in the final third this weekend.
Prediction
Chelsea 3-0 Burnley
Burnley will take heart from the performance against Crystal Palace last week, and they will aim to exploit Chelsea’s vulnerabilities this weekend. However, the away side’s defensive woes will peg them back this weekend, and the West London club will run riot in the final third.
Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro will have a field day this weekend, guiding Chelsea to a run-of-the-mill victory. While Burnley may not go down without a fight, they may not have the quality to trouble Robert Sanchez. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for Liam Rosenior and his charges.
