Burnley have not beaten Arsenal since 2008.
Back then, a Kevin McDonald brace condemned a young Gunners side, which had the likes of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey starting, to a 2-0 defeat in the League Cup.
In 12 attempts since, the Clarets have failed to get the better of Arsenal, losing 11 successive games.
But now Sean Dyche’s side travel to the Emirates on Saturday, live on talkSPORT, and they get a chance to end this foul record.
So, how can they do it? Below, we’ve written up eight reasons why Burnley can beat Arsenal this weekend.
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- Arsenal vs Burnley (Saturday, 12.30pm) – talkSPORT
- Sunderland vs Portsmouth (Saturday, 12.30pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Norwich City vs Newcastle United (Saturday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur (Saturday, 5.30pm) – talkSPORT
- Reading vs Cardiff City (Sunday, 12pm) – talkSPORT 2
They will be high on confidence after thrashing a good Southampton side
No one expected Burnley to run out 3-0 winners against Southampton on the opening day of the 2019/20 Premier League season.
It was goalless at half-time, however, a second-half blitz from the hosts blew the Saints away.
It should mean that the Clarets will be full of confidence heading into their trip to north London.
They have a deadly duo in Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood
Barnes and Wood scored a combined total of 26 goals (13 each) last season.
And the former hit the new campaign running with a double against Southampton. The pair link up so well together and could cause Arsenal’s leaky backline problems.
Despite keeping a clean sheet in their opening-day win over Newcastle, the Gunners’ defence still looked vulnerable at times. They had the post to thank for denying Jonjo Shelvey in the first-half with the scores level.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson is fit and firing
Gudmundsson’s 2018/19 season was disrupted by injuries and subsequently, he struggled to displace Jeff Hendrick and Dwight McNeil from the starting XI.
However, with a full pre-season under his belt, the Iceland winger will be hoping to stay in the first-team for a prolonged spell.
He looked as fit as ever in Burnley’s win against Southampton, playing the full 90 minutes and scoring his side’s final goal with a superb curling effort.
Nick Pope is getting back to his best
Pope has gone from Burnley’s third-choice goalkeeper to their No.1 over the summer.
The former Charlton stopper suffered a shoulder injury last summer, which ruled him out until the New Year.
But following Tom Heaton’s departure to Aston Villa and Joe Hart’s form, Pope has returned to favour with Dyche.
He pulled off a couple of fine saves against Southampton to remind everyone why he was included in England’s 2018 World Cup squad.
They’re delivering the ball into the box often
Burnley’s style of play has come into question during Dyche’s reign, but whether you like it or not, it gets them results.
This is their fourth successive season in the Premier League and their directness always causes teams problems.
Arsenal’s centre-backs Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Calum Chambers are 6ft 1ins and 6ft, respectively, and could struggle to handle Burnley’s physicality.
They’re giving Erik Pieters more opportunities to cross
Pieters sealed a £1million transfer from Stoke to Burnely during the summer transfer window. The Dutchman fell out of favour with Potters boss Nathan Jones and was shipped out on loan to Ligue 1 Amiens for the second half of last season.
However, Dyche gave the left-back a Premier League lifeline and he notched two assists against Southampton.
Barnes and Wood will be itching to get on the end of his crosses at the Emirates.
They can stack the right-hand side
Even though Arsenal’s winning goal came from their right side, Unai Emery’s men tend to have most of their joy attacking from the left.
Nacho Monreal was a constant menace coming forward form full-back in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Newcastle, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang often drifts out to the left.
To contain the threat, Burnley could play with a three-man midfield with two players being positioned more on the right side.
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