Burnley travel to Stamford Bridge to face a Chelsea team looking for a first win under Thomas Tuchel.

After drawing 0-0 with Wolverhampton Wanderers, the new boss was pleased with his side’s performance, but now faces a Clarets team buoyed by back-to-back wins at Liverpool and then at home against Aston Villa.

Sean Dyche has turned his side’s fortunes around, picking up 21 points since the reverse fixture at Turf Moor, which The Blues won 0-3.

In contrast, Chelsea have won 18 points in the same period.

  • Team News

Tuchel has a full squad to choose from after N’Golo Kante has returned after a thigh problem.

Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic could return to the starting eleven after being named on the bench for the draw with Wolves.

Timo Werner, Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham will battle it out for the starting striker’s role, with Frenchman Giroud getting the nod in midweek.

Burnley have struggled with injuries throughout this season and could have a couple of players missing on Sunday.

Ashley Barnes, who scored the winner at Anfield last week, could be absent with a slight knock, while Josh Brownhill could also miss out after injuring his foot in the win over Villa.

Jay Rodriguez and Jack Cork could take their positions in midfield, after both impressed in the win of Fulham in the FA Cup.

Charlie Taylor is back in training after re-aggravating his hamstring injury against the Champions, meaning Erik Pieters will keep his place in the defence.

  • Potential Line-Ups

Chelsea

Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger, Chilwell; Jorginho, Kante, Mount; Hudson-Odoi, Abraham, Pulisic

Burnley

Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters; Brady, Westwood, Cork, McNeil; Wood, Rodriguez.

  • Ones to watch

Mason Mount

Under Frank Lampard, Mount’s career came on leaps and bounds, even before Lampard took charge at Chelsea.

At Derby County, Mount grew up and, when he returned to the Bridge after his loan spell, he became a big part of Lampard’s plans once again.

Now he needs to establish himself under the new manager, and he has all the tools to do just that.

Mount is always looking to play the ball forward and is always moving when he is not on the ball, and will look to exploit any space he finds in behind the Burnley midfield.

He has a point to prove to his new boss, but also to the Chelsea fans who will be looking for Mount to lead the charge back up the table.

With the formations both teams will play, the game should open up for Mount, so it will be up to him to make the most of the space that he finds, which hasn’t always been his strong suit.

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Dwight McNeil

Dwight McNeil missed a number of games through injury at the end of 2020 and into 2021 but has returned with some great performances.

He came on against West Ham United and became Burnley’s best player before shining in the game against Liverpool as his side grew into the game.

Then his goal and assist against Aston Villa proved his worth once more, with a delightful cross for Chris Wood’s winner following his low driven shot into the far corner from the edge of the box, albeit if it wasn’t completely on purpose.

He is starting to become more and more direct and his end ball is constantly getting better, and his return to the starting lineup has given Dyche a talisman.

McNeil has clearly improved his final ball and his delivery is becoming more consistent, and his partnership with Wood will continue to improve.

With the ball at his feet he can attack down the wing or can cut inside and run things from in the middle, just behind the striker.

If he can get a good run within the team, McNeil could potentially find himself around the England Senior Squad with Mount in the summer at the European Championship.

  • Last meeting

Burnley 0-3 Chelsea (31/10/2020)

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea ran straight through a hapless Burnley at Turf Moor, to see them rise into the Champions League places and leave the Clarets bottom.

Hakim Ziyech opened the scoring inside the first half when he dragged his shot back across Nick Pope into the near corner.

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Mason Mount whipped in a delightful corner for Kurt Zouma to powerfully head home in the second half, just as Burnley were starting to grow into the game.

The second goal took the wind out of the home side’s sails and that allowed Timo Werner to score on the break after he was slipped in by Ziyech.

  • Kick-off time

Chelsea vs Burnley is on Sunday, 31 January, live on BT Sport at 12pm GMT.

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