Arsenal v Burnley preview

Mikel Arteta needs another big win this weekend or he could risk losing his job

Arsenal v Burnley preview 

By Jonny Bray

Arsenal travel to Turf Moor on Saturday looking to build on the first positive result of the season after a 1-0 win against Norwich at the Emirates last weekend.

It is a crucial game for the Gunners, who need to win to guarantee they won’t be back in the bottom three come Monday.

Mikel Arteta only has a few new injury concerns, with Rob Holding suffering from a bruised knee and Mohamed Elneny out with a hamstring injury.

Arsenal fans could arguably expect a good result, considering Burnley are currently winless after four games, with just one point to their name.

However, there are no easy matches for the Gunners at the moment, and fans are becoming increasingly worried about the direction of the team this season.

Burnley will also be in a buoyant mood after manager Sean Dyche committed his future to the club by signing a new four-year contract.

What can we expect from Burnley?

Burnley are coming off the back of a 3-1 trouncing at the hands of Everton, their third defeat of the season, leaving them 18th in the table.

Oddly, it still came as no surprise when Dyche had his contract extended yesterday, a testament to the 50-year-old’s consistency at the helm over nearly a decade.

Arsenal can once again expect the same tenacity, aggressiveness and commitment we’ve come to know from a Dyche side on Saturday - making life awkward and generally unpleasant for the opposition.

While, on paper, this should seem like a potential banana skin for Arsenal, the Gunners do have a good record against Burnley in recent years.


Prior to last season’s 1-0 defeat, the Clarets hadn’t won a point against Arsenal since January 2017, and they hadn’t beaten them since 1974.

Arsenal can expect to come up against one of the best defences in the league on Saturday and every player will need to give 100% if the Gunners want to break through it.

Ben Mee scored in Burnley’s 3-1 defeat, while Chris Wood may be one of the most underrated strikers in the league.

Burnley also offer a threat down the left, with Dwight McNeil quickly becoming one of the fastest rising talents in the country following several impressive seasons at Turf Moor.

What can we expect from Arsenal?

Arsenal are a bit of an unknown entity at the moment. I have every confidence that if the team turn up hungry and play to the level they're capable of against Dyche’s side this weekend, it will be a convincing win.

However, there’s always that lingering thought at the back of your mind, particularly under Arteta, that Arsenal will find a way to sabotage themselves.

It’s also hard to predict how the team will do when so much uncertainty surrounds the starting line-up.  

There have been reports of a training ground bust-up involving Bernd Leno over the last few days, suggesting that Aaron Ramsdale is likely to start in goal.

But is he really good enough to be Arsenal’s number one?

There’s also uncertainty in midfield with Martin Ødegaard and Emile Smith Rowe battling it out for a starting place, and up top where the form of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette has largely been poor.

There are some positives, though. Arsenal can expect more encouraging signs from summer transfer signings like Albert Sambi Lokonga and Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Despite being widely criticised after his debut against Burnley, Ben White has also impressed at the start of the season.

In fact, he is part of a quickly improving Arsenal defence which, at full strength, looks like one of the most competent back fours the Emirates has seen in years.

Arsenal will need to hope their defence can withstand Bunley's physical threat if they are going to bring the three points back to north London.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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