Chelsea faces Burnley in the Premier League looking to build (affirm) on their fourth-place position on the log.
However, Burnley visits the Blues after entering three straight defeats a run which has got them languishing in the danger (relegation) zone.
Chelsea has lost home games to West ham United, Eddie Howe’s AFC Bournemouth and the Southampton side at the end of November, leaving Frank Lampard and Chelsea to capitalize on victories over sides like Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal on the road to salvage a Champions League place.
Lampard is well aware that Chelsea can falter with regards to their poor run in front of their home ground.
This is especially as his side faces teams who make the trip to West London seeking redemption to revive their fortune. Chelsea has notscored more than 2 goals in a match since the ill-fated 4-4 draw with Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam.
This stretches now to 13 matches across all competitions.
Despite Chelsea’s positive performance coming from the youthful attacking set-up, none of the players is certain to produce the consistency that Chelsea desires to make a step forward into third place.
Sean Dyche will be positive ahead of Chelsea’s visit as their home form provides Burnley a window of opportunity to get their own season revived after a dismal Christmas and New Year period.
Burnley home lost three games in a row against Everton, Manchester United and Aston Villa in that order and these are teams who have struggled to impress for a majority of the campaign.
The 4-2 success over Peterborough in the FA Cup may go some way to boosting the chances of the Burnley side, but Dyche will be recognizance that the stakes have risen beyond the normal (average) as his side bids to avoid settling for a relegation battle.
With Callum Hudson-Odoi, having performed against Nottingham at the weekend. Lampard may opt to keep Christian Pulisic on the bench.
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William and Tammy Abraham should return to the first team after much rest while Chelsea’s midfield is likely to be composed of N’golo Kante, Jorginho, and Croatia’s Mateo Kovacic.
If Reece James starts at right-back, then skipper and Spanish defender Cesar Azpilicueta is expected to be picked ahead of Emerson Palmieri on the opposite side of the defense.
Chelsea possible starting line-up (4-3-3 formation)
Arrizabalaga; James, Rudiger, Zouma, Cesar Azpilicueta; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; William, Abraham, Hudson-Odoi.
