High-flying Arsenal travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley in their first Premier League meeting since February 2024.

Confidence is bursting at the seams after the Gunners squeaked past Brighton & Hove Albion in midweek League Cup action, extending their winning streak in all competitions to eight matches.

Mikel Arteta’s side scored two unanswered second-half goals to reach the quarter-finals and remain in contention for mid-season silverware, setting themselves up perfectly for this road trip. Whereas the previous few seasons have given Arsenal fans more chances to win at bingo than the team winning titles, form and squad depth means the club is the easy betting favourites for the title – and indeed every fixture they now play in.

Without the distraction of cup action, Burnley have had a week to rest and prepare for this clash, with Scott Parker’s team seeking a third consecutive league win after beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 last weekend.

However, the odds remain understandably stacked against the Lancashire outfit, whose last victory over Arsenal dates back to December 2021. Priced at 9.5 to take down the Gunners, Burnley must pull off the unthinkable on Saturday.

Given the visitors’ current form, the Clarets will need a miracle to upset the apple cart and register their first home league win over the North London powerhouse since 1973.

Embarrassing record

To put Burnley’s fears into context, they have not faced any side more often at home in the Premier League without ever winning than Arsenal (D3, L6), with four of those six defeats producing an identical 1-0 scoreline.

Furthermore, the hosts have failed to get on the scoresheet in three of their last four encounters against the Gunners at Turf Moor (D2, L2), including a dismal 5-0 defeat in their most recent clash here almost two years ago.

It’s also worth noting that Burnley lost both league matches against Arsenal during their fateful 2023/24 campaign by an aggregate score of 8-1, highlighting the significant gulf in class between the sides.

Burnley can at least draw confidence from winning back-to-back league games against Leeds United and Wolves, securing a chance to make it three top-flight victories in a row for the first time since April 2022.

However, you’d need to go back to February 2022 for the last time the Clarets won a Premier League fixture against one of the traditional ‘Big Six,’ while they lost all six home meetings with such opposition in 2023/24.

Unstoppable force

Defensive solidity has become synonymous with Arsenal this season, with Arteta’s men one game away from matching the club’s second-best run of clean sheets in all competitions.

Indeed, the Gunners have registered six consecutive shutouts in the build-up to this trip, including a narrow 1-0 home win over fellow London rivals Crystal Palace in their last league outing.

That result marked Arsenal’s fourth successive win in the Premier League, putting them in a position to win five on the trot for the first time since April 2024 and further consolidate their pursuit of their first top-flight title since 2004.

As if that’s not encouraging enough, only reigning title holders Liverpool have defeated Arsenal across their last 18 away league games (W10, D7), testifying to the visitors’ remarkable consistency on the road.

Further optimism stems from Arsenal’s formidable record against the newly promoted clubs, with the Gunners emerging victorious from 23 of their last 24 such matches (L1).

If there’s a downside, it must be Arsenal’s notoriously slow starts this season that have seen 15 of their 16 top-flight goals arrive beyond the 30th minute.

Team News

Arsenal will be without long-term absentee Gabriel Jesus, who’s still recovering from a knee injury. Serie A giants AC Milan have reportedly joined the race for the injury-prone Brazilian, having last been linked to him in 2022 before he moved to Arsenal.

Captain Martin Odegaard is also unavailable for selection, depleting Arteta’s midfield options.

Odegaard’s absence could open space for Christian Norgaard to make a rare league start this season alongside Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi.