Premier League: Battling Burnley Is the Next Test for Arsenal

Burnley vs Arsenal

Premier League leaders Arsenal head north on Saturday when they meet Burnley at Turf Moor in, what this SBOTOP writer hopes, will be a tasty encounter.

I have never tried to hide my allegiance to the Clarets but, as always, I’ll do my best to give a level headed view of the meeting between Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Scott Parker’s Burnley! 

Arsenal’s victory over Crystal Palace last week came on a near perfect weekend for the Gunners as Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all lost and, if as expected, they take three points back to North London, they will extend their lead at the top of the Premier League Table to seven points before the chasers play later on Saturday or on Sunday.

And there are some really tough tests for Arsenal’s rivals on the agenda. Manchester City face Bournemouth, currently second, Chelsea visit third placed Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool host an in-form and dangerous Aston Villa. The Premier League 2025 betting odds might easily take another big move towards the Emirates.

But Arteta knows he will not get an easy ride from Burnley, who have just recorded back to back wins to move up to 16^th and five points clear of the drop zone. 

 

Talking Points

Parker’s Clarets are evolving

Following Burnley’s 2024 relegation and Vincent Kompany’s departure to Bayern Munich, new manager Parker had a heck of a job on rebuilding a team from scratch, shipping out the want-away stars and bringing in some young guns willing to sweat for the Claret shirt. He started by fielding well organised teams, hard to beat and Burnley were not so easy on the eye, recording countless 0-0 draws. But the team evolved and gathered momentum, eventually winning promotion with 100 points and some big wins.

And so it seems the current crop of Clarets are evolving too, partly by necessity, but Parker has proven himself to be a manager who is flexible, willing to change tactics and formations to suit the opposition. He is also a realist and he knows that Burnley need to be defensively sound first and foremost. Parker’s two most recognisable signings, defender Kyle Walker and keeper Martin Dubravka have stacks of experience and Premier League quality and, with the ever improving Maxime Esteve at centre back and Quil Hartman at wingback, this is a talented defence.

Lesley Ugochukwu and Florentino Luis have formed a strong midfield alongside skipper Josh Cullen, while an injury to Lyle Foster gave a chance to Dutch striker Zian Flemming, who scored a brace in Burnley’s 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.               

 

Arsenal’s chance to step on  

Never have the Gunners had a better opportunity to break the recent dominance of Manchester City and Liverpool and, if Arteta’s men finish second for the fourth campaign running it will be a huge disappointment…no matter what they say at the end of the campaign.

Arsenal could easily extend their lead this weekend as they gather momentum and the squad, which finally has real quality in depth, is well equipped to fight on multiple fronts. Bukayo Saka, who was troubled with injury last term, is back to his best and summer signing Viktor Gyokores looks capable of being the 20 goal a season man the Gunners have missed for so long. Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice are class acts in midfield and, while Martin Odegaard is still out, he is stepping up his recovery work and will return to the creative unit before too long.

Centre backs William Saliba and Gabriel are dominant in both penalty areas and the Gunners remain the best team on the planet at set pieces.

Arsenal have all the tools to beat any team in front of them…so even a resolute Burnley should struggle to stop them.   

 

History

It comes as little surprise that the Gunners have totally dominated this relationship over the past 22 games; since 2008 Burnley have managed just two wins and four draws while losing 16.  

In terms of recent form Arsenal have won their last six games in all competitions; meanwhile Burnley’s Premier League 2025 results have improved of late and they have recorded two wins, a draw and three losses from their last six.     

 

Betting Tip

Burnley are a long shot at odds of 9.95, with Arsenal at 1.30 and the draw at 5.50; and I’d have to be a hopelessly biased fan to predict a home win.

So I won’t!

But the Gunners have a busier schedule than Burnley, beating Atletico Madrid handsomely in the Champions League and then they have a Carabao Cup clash with Brighton on Wednesday night; so the Clarets will be better rested and raring to go. While Liverpool recently needed a 94^th minute penalty to beat Parker’s men; the hosts have recently become more expansive and so, with Arsenal so heavily odds on – I see the value in a game with plenty of goals.     

   

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