Arsenal vs. Burnley: Predicted Lineup, Bench & Score

A goal! Points! For the first time this season Arsenal were able to walk away from a Premier League weekend feeling positive. There are still plenty of things for Mikel Arteta to work on, but apparently, he is coming off the best 10 days of his career...That win moved Arsenal up into 16th place. Another three points this weekend and they will be closing in on the top half of the table. But to do that they will need to reverse their recent results at Turf Moor which have seen the Gunners leave with two straight road draws.

For the opposition, losses to Liverpool and Everton, both of which sit tied at the top of the Premier League, aren’t bad results for Burnley, nor is a draw with Leeds. But they will enter the match frustrated having taken the lead against Everton only to give up three goals. From 2009 to 2019, Arsenal had won 12 straight against Burnley, but since then have managed just one point from three matches and a single goal. If you missed the Q&A, I caught up with the Burnley podcast TurfCast to discuss the club’s current state, new additions, and thoughts on the match.

Predicted XI

Bench

1. Bernd Leno
2. Nuno Tavares
3. Pablo Mari
4. Calum Chambers
5. Cedric Soares
6. Ainsley Maitland-Niles
7. Martin Odegaard
8. Gabriel Martinelli
9. Alexandre Lacazette

• Left Out: Arthur Okonkwo, Sead Kolasinac, Eddie Nketiah, & Folarin Balogun
• Out: Mohamed Elneny (hamstring), Rob Holding (knee), & Granit Xhaka (red card).
• I don’t expect Arteta to change much after the club’s first league win this season. Ramsdale and the back four are locked in unless there is a late injury or illness. Another match together is exactly what these five need ahead of the North London Derby coming up.
• In the midfield, Thomas Partey should replace Ainsley Maitland-Niles and partner with Sambi. With both Xhaka and Elneny out once again, Maitland-Niles and Calum Chambers are on the bench as reserve midfielders and full-back options.
• The attack would have expected more against Norwich and having put up 30 shots. Arteta isn’t dropping Aubameyang after scoring and Bukayo Saka is a lock when fit. On the right, Pepe wasn’t able to get the goal, but he was a key piece in the attack beginning to find some steam on Saturday. He was first in actions that led to shots, shots on target (tied with Auba), progressive carries, and successful dribbles, plus he was second on the team in recoveries and pressuring the ball. That being said, I believe he has retained his spot, which leaves it down to Odegaard vs. Smith Rowe for the #10 role. With Emile fit and Arteta looking to push the offense a step further, Odegaard moves to the bench on Saturday.
• With Rob Holding as the third player officially out, as of Thursday, the bench should be fairly straightforward. Okonkwo and Kolasinac are left out, while Arteta only needs to bring two attackers from Lacazette, Martinelli, Nketiah & Balogun. Folarin Balogun will likely play on Sunday morning against the Chelsea U23s, so Eddie is the one who misses out with both Lacazette and Martinelli the better options to bring off the bench on Saturday.

How to watch

Saturday (9/18) at 10:00 am ET / 7:00 am PT on NBCSN.

Prediction

Arsenal - 2

Burnley - 1

Much like last weekend, this match will be a lot closer than Arsenal supporters are hoping for. The defense looked solid against Norwich, but the attack needs more time to find its rhythm. Bringing back Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe into the starting XI should hopefully do the trick as Mike Arteta’s side looks to edge closer to mid-table.