Burnley v Arsenal: Sutton's predictions
- Published
BBC pundit Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.
For this weekend's games, he takes on rapper Songer, who is a Chelsea fan.
Sutton's prediction: 1-2
I am at Turf Moor for this one and I don't think it will be as straightforward for Arsenal as some people might think.
As ridiculous as it might sound, I was very impressed by Burnley when I watched them in their defeat against Liverpool. They started well, were well organised and created chances - big chances - but they just could not take them.
In the end, they paid the price for a couple of individual errors ,which get heightened when they happen in a close game like that one. They cannot afford many more of those if they want to stay in the Premier League.
Also, the Clarets are not in a position to pinpoint certain games as being 'winnable'. They have won three league games all season and they need to win at least three more just to get out of the relegation zone, so they need to approach every game as being 'must-win', including this one.
We know the importance of it for Arsenal at the other end of the table too. The Gunners blew West Ham away last week and they will need to keep their focus here because their title hopes rely on a very small margin of error.
Mikel Arteta's side have just beaten Liverpool and West Ham, so this might seem as if it is the easiest of their current run. But despite four straight wins, which also includes Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, it is still a dangerous fixture because Burnley are scrapping for their lives.
I do think Arsenal will win though. Last season, the Gunners started well and fell away. This season, I think it is fair to say their early performances were not quite at that breathtaking or exhilarating level, but maybe this is their time to get going.
Songer's prediction: 0-3
Weirdly enough, I was actually at Arsenal's game against West Ham last week. My old man is a Hammers fan and I was sat with a load of Arsenal fans, so I was right in the middle. I cannot say I am Arsenal's biggest fan, so I was not too pleased with the result either.
They did look good though and Burnley look a bit shaky so, after winning 6-0 away, I am going for another comfortable Arsenal win.