Chelsea vs. Burnley Preview
Where: Stamford Bridge – London, England
When: Saturday, August 12, 2017, 10:00 AM ET
Line: Chelsea -525 vs. Burnley +1,100, tie +430; total 3.0 – view all 2017 EPL lines
TV Broadcast: NBCSN
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Betting on Chelsea (-525)
Under the guidance of first-year manager Antonio Conte, Chelsea stormed to the title last season in impressive fashion. Conte’s 3-4-3/3-5-2 formation provided tremendous stability in defense, while the brilliance of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard took care of the attack.
However, the reigning champions didn’t look too impressive in their Community Shield loss to Arsenal, and will begin their title defense without a handful of key contributors from last year’s success.
Wing-back Victor Moses is suspended after getting sent off in last year’s FA Cup final against Arsenal, which could mean a debut for new signing Antonio Rudiger. Midfielder Nemanja Matic was sold to Manchester United, and his replacement Tiemoue Bakayoko is currently out injured, so Cesc Fabregas will likely partner N’Golo Kante in midfield. Meanwhile, both Hazard (broken ankle) and Costa (impending exit) are also gone.
Michy Batshuayi failed to impress against Arsenal in the Community Shield, which could open the door for Alvaro Morata to make his debut and lead the attack alongside Willian and Pedro.
But even with all these changes, Chelsea should still be able to find a way against Burnley, especially at home. The Blues were an impressive 17-0-2 at Stamford Bridge last season, with a league-best 55 goals scored and just 17 conceded. They demolished Burnley 3-0 in this fixture last season.
Chelsea also have a historically great record when it comes to starting the season. They’ve won nine of their 11 season openers since 2007.
Betting on Burnley (+1,100)
Burnley did very well in order to stave off relegation last season and stay in the Premier League one more year. However, their home form was primarily to thank for their survival. Their away form, on the other hand, was one of the worst in the league. They won just one of their 19 games away from Turf Moor, with 14 defeats.
More worryingly for the Clarets is the fact that they have not gotten any better during the summer transfer window; in fact, they’ve gone significantly worse. Top center-back Michael Keane was sold to Everton, as was second-leading scorer Andre Gray (nine goals). Those nine goals are huge considering Burnley were one of the lowest scoring teams in the division last season with just 39 goals.
They have yet to adequately replace either of those two very important players, which is hardly ideal preparation for a visit to the defending champs.
Burnley’s strategy away from home last season was to simply sit deep in defense and ride their luck as the opponent dominates possession. But if there’s a time when that strategy might work against Chelsea, it’s now. With their instrumental playmaker Hazard out, there’s a possibility the Blues may find it hard to break Burnley down.
Writer’s Prediction
Chelsea (-525) find it tough but they still get the job done as they start their title defense with a 1-0 win.
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