"It's hard to know what to expect from them" - Chris Sutton makes prediction for Burnley vs Chelsea
BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton has made his prediction for Chelsea's Premier League clash at Burnley on Saturday, October 7.
The Blues have had a mini resurgence of sorts after a dismal start to the season. They have won their last two games across competitions following a three-game winless run.
Mauricio Pochettino's new-look side are coming off a 2-0 win at Fulham on Monday (October 2), their second league win in seven outings this term. The Blues are up to 11th in the standings with eight points.
Meanwhile, Burnley are coming off their first league win of the season at Luton Town on Tuesday, winning 2-1. The Clarets, though, are languishing in the relegation zone, three clear of basement dwellers Sheffield United (1).
Sutton reckons both sides would look to build on their winning streak, but their inconsistent performances this season make the result difficult to predict. He wrote in his column for the BBC:
"Both of these teams are looking to build on much-needed positive results this week, but it's hard to know what to expect from them.
"Chelsea's win over Fulham on Monday was their first league win since August, but the question now is whether they can follow up that result and find some consistency."
Noting their goalscoring woes this season, he noted:
"Scoring goals has been the Blues' biggest problem recently, so it was important for them that Mykhailo Mudryk finally got off the mark against Fulham.
"Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino spoke about doing extra sessions with Mudryk when he was struggling to find the net, including using the 'crossbar challenge' to try to build his confidence. It seems to have worked, and now they must hope he is fit to face Burnley too."
Sutton said about Burnley:
"The Clarets' victory at Luton on Tuesday had been coming, based on what I've seen of them, and they probably felt like they deserved it after such a tough start to the season.
"Vincent Kompany's side have lost four out of four at Turf Moor so far, so even a point would be a step in the right direction for them. It smells like a draw to me.
Sutton predicts a 1-1 draw.
Chelsea duo earn England call-up
Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill and midfielder Conor Gallagher have earned call-ups from England boss Gareth Southgate for the upcoming international break. The Three Lions take on Australia on Friday (October 13) in a friendly before welcoming Italy for a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier four days later.
While Gallagher has made nine senior appearances for the Three Lions, Colwill will look to make his first. Meanwhile, the injured Blues duo of captain Reece James and Ben Chilwell missed out due to injury.
Colwill, 21, has been an omnipresent in Pochettino's team, starting all nine games across competitions this season, scoring once, missing only 35 minutes of action. Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Gallagher has also played all nine games, starting seven times and captaining the side on four occasions.