Chelsea target win against Burnley to boost Champions League chance

After the trio of Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal failed to beat their opponents putting their Champions League hope in jeopardy at the weekend, the big chance has been given to Chelsea as the Blues host Burnley in today’s (Monday night) Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.

A win for the London club will move them 3rd spot on the league table on 69 points ahead of Arsenal (66 points), Manchester United (64 points) and Tottenham (67 points), two teams with a game at hand to play.

The Blues booked a place in the semi-finals of the Europa League in midweek and attention now turns back to the top flight, with four teams battling for third and fourth place.

Into the last four of the Europa League and still on course for a Champions League spot for next season, Maurizio Sarri’s debut campaign in West London could still end on a real high.

Sarri will be banking on Eden Hazard, Willian, Pedro and Gonzalo Higuain to shoulder the goalscoring responsibilities against a Burnley side that will be hoping to cement their survival for topflight football next season.

The Blues have lost just one of their last 20 home league games, 1-0 against Leicester City in December, and no side has conceded fewer home goals in the Premier League this term than the Blues (10, the same as Liverpool).

Chelsea have won six of their nine Premier League matches against Burnley, though they did lose this corresponding fixture 3-2 on the opening day of last season.

That was the Clarets’ only win in their last 11 trips to Stamford Bridge in all competitions, losing seven of those. They have not won back-to-back games there since December 1961.

The reverse fixture in October finished 4-0 to the Blues, with Morata, Ross Barkley, Willian and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all registering at Turf Moor six months ago.