This weekend's Saturday evening kick-off is between Burnley and Arsenal at Turf Moor. The two teams are at opposite ends of the table, Arsenal go into the weekend in second, while Burnley go into it second from bottom. It's a game that could mean a lot in both sides seasons, just for very different reasons. Arsenal are nine points clear of Liverpool in fifth, but they still need to keep winning to secure their Champions League place and to maybe even try and catch Chelsea at the top of the table. Burnley are two points off safety and they do not want to make their job of staying up even harder over the coming weeks.
Arsenal go into the game in very good form, hey haven't lost in the league since early February and they beat top four rivals Liverpool 4-1 at the Emirates last Saturday. The Gunners also have an FA Cup sem- final against Reading to look forward to in the coming weeks. Burnley have only won once since February, but their only win in eight came against the Champions Manchester City at Turf Moor. They have also recently held Spurs and Chelsea to draws as well, showing that they save their best form for the Premier League big boys.
Team news:
Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta, Abou Diaby and Mathieu Debuchy will all be available for selection this weekend after recovering from their respective injuries. Szczensy also has a chance to be fit for the game as well. Laurent Koscielny will undergo a fitness test before the game to see if he can participate after he picked up a thigh injury in last weeks 4-1 win over Liverpool, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been ruled out for at least another two weeks.
Burnley trio Ross Wallace, Steven Reid and Matty Taylor are all in contention for Saturday's tie after recovering from injuries. Taylor has been out for the majority of the season with an Achilles injury, while Wallace and Reid only missed the Clarets' 0-0 draw with Spurs due to a knock and a thigh injury respectively. Norwegian midfielder Fredrik Ulvestad could also make the Burnley squad as well.
Previous meetings:
When Arsenal and Burnley met earlier in the season Arsenal won 3-0, with the goals coming from an Alexis Sanchez brace and a first Arsenal goal from Calum Chambers.
Before this, the lat time the two clubs had met in the Premier League was in March 2010, where Arsenal won 3-1 at the Emirates. Goals came from Fabregas, Walcott and Arshavin, while Burnley's goal came from David Nugent.
Last time Burnley welcomed Arsenal to Turf Moor was in 2009, and the match ended 1-1. Fabregas' early goal was then cancelled out by an Alexander penalty. From the Arsenal starting 11 that started that match only two players remain, Abou Diaby and Theo Walcott. No Burnley players remain from their starting 11 that played at Turf Moor.
Head-to-head record:
In the last five meeting between Burnley and Arsenal, Arsenal have won three times, Burnley have won once and they have drawn once. Burnley' sole win was in the 2008-09 League Cup quarter-finals, where they beat Arsenal 2-0 at Turf Moor.
