WILL DYER (@w2Dyer) is back in the driving seat for Super Sunday. Arsenal's defence have upped their game in recent weeks but will they shut out overachieving Burnley?
Arsenal v Burnley | Sunday 14:15 | Sky Sports 1
Overall, it’s been a stellar season for Burnley. Past the halfway point now, the Clarets sit 10th in the Premier League after starting the season around Even money for relegation. However, when you compare their home and away form, you get a team that’s unrecognisable from week-to-week.
Reliable Form Guide
Sean Dyche’s side have won eight games this season but all of those victories came at Turf Moor. It puts them third in the table on home form at the time of writing. On their travels, though they are a complete different kettle of fish; nine outings have returned W0-D1-L8, scoring just a paltry three goals.
Burnley travel to the Emirates this weekend to take on Arsenal. The latter are the ultimate flat track bullies and the second top scorers in the league. It would be fair to say that based on their away form it looks like Burnley have their work cut out for them on Sunday.
Unjust history
The previous meeting between these sides back in early October ended in controversy. Burnley’s home record should arguably make for better reading.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s last-gasp shot was diverted by the hand of Laurent Koscielny for an incredibly harsh 93rd minute sucker punch, after the Clarets had defended brilliantly for the majority of the game.
The Arsenal ‘Win To Nil’ would have paid out in that meeting, if a little luckily, and it’s a bet that would have paid out in three of the Gunner’s last four Premier League matches. These kind of defensive performances were much needed after Arsene Wenger’s men went a pathetic 12 matches without a clean sheet between October and mid-December.
One Way Traffic
I’m backing that to continue here. The combination of Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka in holding midfield worked very well against Swansea last time out and we may well see that again with Francis Coquelin only recently returning from injury and Mohamed Elneny at the African Cup of Nations.
Going forward there’s little doubt that Arsenal will find the back of the net, they haven’t failed to in the last nine meetings with Burnley; you have to go back to 1975 to find the last time the North West club kept a clean sheet against Arsenal.
Sam Vokes and Andre Gray have hit form recently, but the likelihood of Dyche playing a front two is slim and whoever leads the line should be starved of chances with the Gunners always favourites to dominate possession at home. Arsenal to win to nil at 10/11 with PaddyPower is my pick of the plays.
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Arsenal v Burnley – Arsenal to ‘Win To Nil' (10/11 PaddyPower)
