Burnley Preview

[James 5,143]

Over the course of January the team has racked up 4 wins out of 4 and scored 17 goals in the process. The exceptional performances of the team have really given us fans the question of ‘Drogba who?’ The Ivorian will hope to get back into the starting line-up with Nicholas Anelka.

Chelsea will look to extend their lead at the top of the table with main rivals Man Utd and Arsenal meeting on Sunday. Ancelotti has already mentioned that he will look to take advantage of the Big 4 clash on Sunday and knows that one of the team will drop points and his team can extend their advantage.

Burnley on the other hand are now facing relegation, to be nice to them they were never expected to make much of an impact on the league. Collecting only 4 points from the last possible 30 has meant that Burnley have not been able to collect enough points.

The recent departure of Owen Coyle has left the fans and some of the players depressed in the squad. With a large loss in form with an addition to being knocked out of the FA Cup the Burnley side are very diminished and weak. With a large loss in form with an addition to being knocked out of the FA Cup the Burnley side are very diminished and weak.

Their last game in the league came in the form of a 1-0 loss to Bolton. Former Manager Owen Coyle put another nail in the coffin against his former side. Lee’s goal was enough to seal a victory for Bolton against Burnley.

Brian Laws who has been regarded as one of the best young managers in the country has made a jump from Sheffield Wednesday straight to a top division club. He has never handled such pressure and has a huge task in front of him.

Below is Burnley’s most recent line up from their midweek game against Bolton. The 1-0 loss to Burnley pushed them further down the table. However, the side might be boosted by the recent signings of young midfielders from Belgium. In addition, negotiations between Celtic Left-Back Danny Fox and Burnley are at an advanced stage.

Jensen, Alexander, Kalvenes, Duff, Carlisle, Mears, Elliott, McCann, Eagles, Fletcher, Nugent

Burnley have lost all their last 3 games and they will look to bring up their form and stay in the league. However, things don’t look good for them especially after Chelsea beat high flyers Birmingham 3-0. They will be boosted by the return of Andre Bikey from the African Cup of Nations who has been the man in form for them this season.

With 17 goals coming from the Blues Burnley will need to have a tough defence which will not be able to be penetrated. The game holds a lot of importance for the Chelsea team because a win here could really put them closer to the Premier League trophy and Ancelotti will not take a chance.
One astounding stat is Chelsea have not won since 3 away games and against Burnley Ancelotti will definitely look to get things back on track when it comes to the teams away form.

My Prediction and Formation
——————————–Cech————————————
—Ivanovic————Terry———–Carvalho——————A.Cole
——————————–Matic———————————-
———J. Cole———————————————–Malouda
——————————-Lampard——————————–
————–Sturridge/Drogba————-Anelka————————

Even though we are facing the 18th placed team we shouldn’t go to Turf Moor with a completely changed side. Deco has not performed in the previous games and letting Nemanja Matic have a go is now the right time. J. Cole should hold his position especially after giving what has been his best performance this season.
Drogba should be thrown into the line-up as a substitute. Let Sturridge have a start and let us see how he performs. He has the pace and can make the assists if not the goals. Malouda has continued his great performances and has been a great secondary striker throughout January. Lastly, do I need to justify the defensive line up?
Ameya’s Prediction: 4-0 or 5-1

The way we have been performing we need goals. Players like Anelka came out of the Birmingham game were disappointed because they didn’t get a goal. That is the attitude that will spur the team on this season. In addition, Joe Cole has to impress 2 managers: Ancelotti and Capello and by giving the club outstanding performances he wish that he is on the plane to South Africa in the summer. Drogba already has 19 goals and many assists and with him back maybe we can grab a few extra goals. Lampard has now taken back his best goal scoring form. With such great attacking players I am sure we will make Burnley BURN!

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Related posts:

1. Preston Preview
2. Classy Chelsea Regain Top Spot
3. Drogba Leads Late Comeback

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