Lancashire

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

Burnley resume their Premier League campaign on Saturday when they host high-flying Chelsea at Turf Moor. BBC Sport touches on some of the key themes surrounding this fixture.

Burnley's defeat at West Ham United before the international break felt like a damaging one.

A win would have put Scott Parker's side six points clear of their opponents and the relegation zone, but their 3-2 loss means they only sit above the 18th-placed Hammers on goal difference.

The Clarets took a first-half lead, mustered 16 shots to West Ham's 15 and enjoyed more possession – and Parker felt that his players let victory slip from their grasp.

"We played well," said the manager after the match. "But that's irrelevant now. We've lost the game and fallen short in crucial moments, and in the Premier League you can't afford to do that."

Home comforts

Seven of Burnley's 10 points this season have come at home and they will welcome a return to Turf Moor this weekend.

The Lancashire club have only lost two league matches at their stadium since the start of last season (W16, D10) – one of those was to defending champions Liverpool and the other to Premier League leaders Arsenal. In England's top four tiers, only Birmingham City have suffered fewer home defeats in that time.

Dutch forward Zian Flemming's recent form is another reason for optimism. Curiously, 12 of Flemming's 15 league goals in a Burnley shirt have come on the road, including all three this season, but if he can find the net this weekend then he would become just the second player to score four or more times in his first five Premier League starts for the club since Maxwel Cornet.

Blues love playing on enemy Turf

Chelsea have enjoyed a lunchtime kick-off of late, having won their past seven Premier League outings at 12:30 on a Saturday.

Only three sides have enjoyed a longer winning streak at this time: Manchester United in 2003 with eight; Chelsea themselves with eight between May 2005 and December 2017; and Manchester City with nine from May 2021 to October 2022.

The west Londoners also relish their visits to this particular corner of east Lancashire.

The Blues have never suffered a Premier League defeat at Turf Moor, winning eight of their nine games there (D1), including the past six. In fact, they have only lost once to Burnley in 18 Premier League meetings both home and away - a 3-2 defeat at Stamford Bridge in August 2017.

Alejandro Garnacho was an unused substitute on his previous trip to Turf Moor with Manchester United, but he should feature this weekend on what will be his 100th Premier League appearance.

The Argentine is set to become the youngest South American to reach that milestone – surpassing the previous record held by Gabriel Martinelli – and he will be hoping the recent international break has not disrupted his form. The winger provided two assists in a top-flight match for the first time during the 3-0 home triumph over Wolves last time out.

Chelsea might have to wait a bit longer for Cole Palmer's return from injury but their attack is already stronger with Joao Pedro and Liam Delap both back fit.

I still think this game will be quite tight, though. Burnley are well organised and their only home defeats so far have been against Liverpool and Arsenal.

This smells of a 1-1 draw to me, but I am actually going to go with Chelsea to edge it for what would be their third league win in a row.

Enzo Maresca's side are third at the moment and seem to have found more consistency than they had last season, although I still don't see them as genuine title contenders. They are not as strong as Arsenal or Manchester City.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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The Premier League will from next season move to a new system of Financial Fair Play (FFP) based on squad costs.

The clubs met in London on Friday to vote on three possible methods of replacing Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) got 14 votes in favour and six against, which is the minimum number that is required to exact a rule change.

Overall squad costs from next season will have to be limited to 85% of a club's revenue, although teams competing in Europe will have to adhere to Uefa's maximum of 70%.

Squad costs comprise player and manager wages, transfer fees and agents' fees.

Rules around sustainability, which set out a club's financial spending plans over the medium and long term, were passed unanimously.

Read more about the news and what it means here

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

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The Premier League has announced the start and end dates for the 2026-27 season.

The first round of fixtures will take place across the weekend of 22 August 2026 - a week later than previous seasons.

The later start allows rest time for players - 89 clear days from the end of this season, and 33 days from the 2026 World Cup final.

The Premier League said the delay was a "priority" for player welfare in an "increasingly congested global football calendar".

The final matches of the season will be played on Sunday, 30 May 2027, with all fixtures kicking off simultaneously as usual.

The season will end a week before the 2027 Champions League final, which will be on Saturday, 5 June.

There will be 33 weekend and five midweek fixtures - the same as the current season.

For the festive period, the Premier League have said no two match rounds will take place within 60 hours.

It has not been confirmed if there will be any fixtures on 24 December 2026.

However, as Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the Premier League has said there will be more matches scheduled than this season, when there is only one.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

One of potentially the biggest moments in English football is coming on Friday, but precious few people understand how important it could be or even know about it.

The Premier League is considering 'anchoring' wages, which would cap the amount any club could spend on their squad at five times the smallest central Premier League broadcasting and prize money payout.

It is a complex argument. The league and some clubs are considering it because they want to ensure wage inflation does not continue to rise endangering their long-term financial security. From the other side - the players and their union, the PFA - this unnaturally limits the amount they can earn in what has until now been a free and open market.

Any changes to that position foisted upon the players without their prior consultation and agreement will not go down well. Remember, the players are the people that the paying public, the TV companies and the advertisers want to see, not a bunch of chairmen, executives and directors arguing over accounts, dividends and profit margins.

The game has increased the number of games played per season without consulting those who are physically doing it. No studies on how that will affect their health in the short and long term were considered, and so the PFA in England looks like it is finally ready to take a strong stand for its members.

Strike ballots are not unknown, I should know, as chairman of the PFA my name was on the bottom of every ballot paper when we last considered strike action over changes in working conditions. The modern owners may have forgotten, but we had 99% backing from our members.

Owners may think of footballers as ultra wealthy, mercenary, thickos who can easily be controlled - well they thought that last time and they lost.

It is time for serious and meaningful negotiation between equals and not a master and serf attitude from one side towards the other.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

Saffie Yates
BBC Sport journalist

Burnley boss Scott Parker has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Chelsea at Turf Moor (kick-off 12:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On Armando Broja after he was stretchered off when playing for Albania against England on Sunday: "I'm hoping that Armando will be available for the weekend. Everything that's come back seemed really positive. He was on the grass yesterday, he's on the grass today - we'll see how he reacts tomorrow. But at this moment in time, it's looking good. I'm pleased it's not an injury that brings back a scar [because] he's a top player."

• On what Burnley need to do to improve: "The fine details in our game in certain moments. We've developed and I've seen massive improvement in us, but the goals conceded last time were poor. We are in an unbelievable place with a team that are developing but we have things to work on."

• He says it's is too early to talk about about plans for the January transfer window: "I'm not thinking about that. I have a group that are fully committed and that's the focus at the moment. We will reassess in January, some players may want to leave, some stay, but we will start thinking about it soon."

• On the togetherness of his players: "It's going to be vital. There's going to be some bumps and what I'll fall back on is a group that can take a blow and stick together. We are going to need to overperform to be successful and have a team spirit that is beyond anything. By having an incredible unity about us we can get through adversity."

• He acknowledged the difference between the modern Premier League and when he was playing: "There's no denying the world has changed and the psychological element of players has completely changed with what they see on social media. I try to have more understanding of it to help them and get what I want as a coach out of them as it's very different."

• He recognised the ongoing importance of set-pieces: "Set-plays are always something, especially with how the game is moving. It will be a constant with us to keep improving set-pieces throughout the year."

• On Zian Fleming's recent performances: "Brilliant form - he's done fantastically well. He didn't have pre season because of injury and he's come back in with two brilliant finishes [so I am] really pleased for him. Gives him real confidence and he's a brilliant professional."

• On Fleming playing as a centre-forward: "I know he's not played in that position before but I see him as a nine. Last year playing [as a number 10] for practically every game will put him in good stead.

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Burnley v Chelsea, with Scott Read and David Unsworth, on BBC Radio Lancashire (95.5, 103.9 and 104.5FM) at 12:30 on Saturday

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off earlier than usual this year, with up to 17 Premier League clubs set to be affected by players jetting off to host country Morocco.

The tournament runs from 21 December until 18 January.

There has been no official announcement about which date clubs will have to release their players by - and it could vary depending on agreements.

Players could miss up to six, or in some cases seven, Premier League matches - plus FA Cup and Carabao Cup games - if they reach the final.

The group stages end on 31 December, so quickly eliminated players may only miss half that amount.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds do not have any players due to play in the 2025 Afcon - with Sunderland and Wolves losing the most players.

• Aston Villa - 1

• Bournemouth - 1

• Brentford - 2

• Brighton - 1

• Burnley - 3

• Crystal Palace - 1 to 4

• Everton - 2 to 3

• Fulham - 3

• Liverpool - 1

• Manchester City - 2

• Manchester United - 3

• Newcastle United - 0 to 1

• Nottingham Forest - 1 to 4

• Sunderland - 7

• Tottenham - 1 to 2

• West Ham United - 2

• Wolves - 5

Read the full article here to know which players will feature at Afcon