“Both teams are struggling” – Berbatov delivers his prediction for Burnley vs Chelsea
Former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur superstar Dimitar Berbatov thinks Chelsea and Burnley will play out a draw this weekend. The two London-based teams will meet in a Premier League game at Turf Moor on Saturday, October 7.
Both sides find themselves in the bottom half of the table going into this match. The Blues are 11th with just eight points from their first seven games, while the Clarets are 18th with just four points.
Despite the difference in their positions in the standings, Berbatov feels not much may separate the two teams on Saturday. The Bulgarian, who scored 94 goals and laid out 47 assists in 229 career Premier League matches, wrote in his prediction column for Metro:
"Both teams are struggling in a way of their own. Chelsea are still underperforming in my opinion, but It’ll still be a massive surprise if Burnley win. However given that they got the win against Luton last time out I will go for a draw. Prediction: 1-1."
Chelsea and Burnley will both enter this contest on the back of a win in their last league match. Mauricio Pochettino's side beat Fulham 2-0 at Craven Cottage, while Vincent Kompany's troops edged Luton Town 2-1 at Kenilworth Road.
Looking at how the last Premier League clash between Chelsea and Burnley at Turf Moor transpired
The two teams haven't met in a competitive fixture since March 2022 when they locked horns in a Premier League contest at Turf Moor.
On that occasion, Chelsea secured a comfortable 4-0 victory. After a goalless first half, Reece James opened the scoring in the 47th minute before Kai Havertz recorded a quickfire brace (53' and 55'). Christian Pulisic rounded up the scoring 21 minutes before the end of regulation.
The two teams also met at Stamford Bridge in the league that season, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw. Havertz was on the scoresheet on that occasion as well, converting James' assist in the 33rd minute. Matej Vydra scored Burnley's equalizer with 11 minutes to go in regulation.
Chelsea, then managed by Thomas Tuchel, ended that season third in the Premier League standings with 74 points, 19 behind winners Manchester City. They won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, while finishing as runners-up in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Burnley, meanwhile, were relegated after picking up just 35 points from 38 matches to finish 18th in the table. They sacked long-time manager Sean Dyche in April and finished the season under U23 boss Mike Jackson before hiring Vincent Kompany in the summer of 2022.