The Premier League title race is becoming ever more demanding as the weeks tick by, but Arsenal will travel north hoping that a relatively favorable fixture for them -- coupled with tough tests for their rivals -- makes this a favorable weekend for them. Not that visits to Turf Moor have historically been pleasant for the Gunners, who tended to find the Sean Dyche iteration of this team to be a particularly obdurate nut, loath to crack.
Vincent Kompany's side are not quite as defensively solid, but did prove in last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Liverpool that they won't go down to the Premier League's best without a fight. They need to turn that battling into points before too long though. What better occasion than against a side who their supporters have so relished the needle with in years gone by? Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:
Viewing information
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 17 | Time: 10 a.m. ET
- Location: Turf Moor -- Burnley, United Kingdom
- TV: USA | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
- Odds: Burnley +850; Draw +450; Arsenal - 350
Storylines
Burnley: With a seven-point gap to make up over the remaining 14 games, pressure is building for Kompany but if anyone is used to it then it is a manager who has spent years battling at the other end of the Premier League. "Pressure is pressure," he said. "I'm fine with it, I've never experienced football without pressure ever in my life.
"So, whether it's in this case the pressure to stay up or in another case the pressure to win every game. My biggest approach to this is just to focus on the things you can control. That's the most important. All the other aspects, there's more chance that it has a negative effect on the work you do than it has a positive effect - in both scenarios, whether you are at the bottom or at the top."
Kompany's side are still unbeaten at home in 2024 and gave Arsenal some tricky moments at the Emirates even in a 3-1 defeat. Their manager, however, would be the first to note that tricky moments and good performances don't deliver the points Burnley really need right now.
Arsenal: Riding high off a 6-0 win at West Ham last week, Mikel Arteta's side look to be peaking at just the right moment. A midseason break in Dubai has done them the world of good. Their four league matches since have been won by an aggregate scoreline of 16-2 and that is not an unfair reflection of their dominance. Their xG across those wins has been 11.5, and they have given up just 1.4.
"It's the most important part of the season and we know that every fixture is going to play a significant role in what we want to achieve," said Arteta. "Burnley is the most important one at the moment, a team that is extremely difficult to beat. You look at the results and how teams have drawn or beaten them and it's been through very small margins. They're extremely well coached, a team that is very competitive so we know that we have a very tough match on Saturday and that's the only focus for us -- to continue to play with the same energy and enthusiasm and play the game, compete in the game in the best way possible and the rest will come."
Prediction
Arsenal are in such ruthless form right now that even staying with them should be an achievement for Burnley, whose relegation fears are unlikely to ease this weekend. PICK: Burnley 0, Arsenal 2.
