Chelsea arrive at our favourite destination of the Premier League era looking to claim three points in back-to-back games in that competition for the first time this season, after winning the west London derby. Promoted Burnley will be buoyed by the only win so far of their latest top-flight campaign, away to Luton Town on Tuesday.

In continuous use as a sports ground since 1843, Saturday’s venue Turf Moor is one of the few in England that predates Stamford Bridge, where gates opened for athletics in 1877. Both clubs, the hosts currently 18th and the visitors 11th, have a rampant lion on their shirt badge, but only Chelsea’s king of beasts is looking over its shoulder.

Mauricio Pochettino will hope to extend our current momentum into the first of two remaining international breaks this year. All three recent victories against top-flight clubs across all competitions have been achieved with a clean sheet (3-0 v Luton, 1-0 v Brighton and 2-0 v Fulham). We now have the second-best defensive record in the top flight (six conceded, behind Manchester City’s five).

Another lively start would be handy. In first halves, the Clarets have been outscored by seven goals to one on their own turf in the league, while the Londoners have a 3-1 aggregate before the break on the road.

Chelsea have won nine of our past 14 Premier League away games against promoted sides and are unbeaten in the league against the Lancastrians on their own patch since the first encounter in January 2010, winning seven games and drawing the other. Over the past four visits the Blues scored 15 goals, scoring four on three occasions.

Team news

Chelsea, the team with the second-highest percentage of possession in the league up to now, allowed Brighton and Fulham the lion’s share of the ball but still won comfortably. Monday’s game was only the second time the Blues’ actual finishing outstripped notional expected goals, the two successful strikes marginally exceeding an xG of 1.7.

Pochettino’s investment of belief in his young players has started to pay dividends. Mykhailo Mudryk’s fine first goal in the famous royal blue came from a wonderful pass from developing left-back Levi Colwill, while Cole Palmer, eased into the starting XI, is showing great positioning and intelligence. Armando Broja’s constant endeavour was rewarded with a goal in his first start since a serious knee injury lay-off.

Midfield is clicking too. Monday's skipper Conor Gallagher, one of the best at turning with his back to goal, has taken on the more advanced pressing role, allowing Enzo Fernandez to influence from deeper, though still running behind when possible. Moises Caicedo keeps improving, winning the ball back and quickly releasing to maintain the pressure on opponents.

With Ben Chilwell’s injury keeping him out for now and Colwill excelling at left-back, it's good to see Marc Cucurella managing greater passing accuracy from his temporary right-back position compared to last season, especially over longer distances.

Poch has seen Mudryk and Caicedo return to training in midweek after going off injured at Fulham, along with Carney Chukwuemeka. Nico Jackson is available again after suspension, but Malo Gusto must sit out the last of his three-game ban. Reece James, close to a comeback from injury, must also serve a one-match suspension for protesting his fellow right-back’s dismissal. The pair should be available for selection to face Arsenal after the international break.

Opposition scout – Burnley

Burnley will be without Johann Gudmundsson, Manuel Benson, Darko Churlinov and Nathan Redmond on Saturday, with Hjalmar Ekdal, Michael Obafemi and Aaron Ramsey also doubts.

The promoted Clarets’ first three-point haul of the season came on Tuesday at Luton, though they had previously faced both Manchester clubs, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham. Under heavy physical pressure, Vincent Kompany's young side showed growing resilience, especially since the 5-2 home defeat to Spurs.

The Belgian coach has assembled a talented squad (six of whom have started every league game) and they are clearly taking on his attacking philosophy. They play with intensity and are expansive in possession, but only three clubs have netted fewer times and errors of judgment at the other end have often proved costly.

That said, leading marksman Lyle Foster returned as the focal point at Luton on Tuesday to score his third goal in six games across all competitions, before lively substitute Jacob Bruun Larsen grabbed the winner. Defending isn’t the forte of fellow winger Luca Koleosho but he’s swapped sides to track pacy opponents recently, something we may see this weekend to counter Mudryk.

Only a handful of sides have proved more vulnerable when defending set-plays than the hosts and, unlike Burnley sides of old, they have not yet scored from one themselves. Although the Clarets are capable of fluent passing moves from back to front, the Blues will be aware few goalkeepers launch the ball forward more than James Trafford.

It’s still early days but the Clarets are one of the three Premier League clubs with the biggest negative disparity between points taken at home and on an opponent’s ground (-1.33).

Burnley vs Chelsea – the history

The Premier League history of this particular Turf war begins in late January 2010. Carlo Ancelotti’s side had recovered from a December of dropped points and would be crowned champions four months later, but it took a late header from skipper John Terry to scoop the full points haul. Nicolas Anelka had opened the scoring with his 12th of the season after a sweeping move, but Stephen Fletcher eluded Alex to equalise.

In 2014 this was the opening fixture of Jose Mourinho’s third title-winning season, played on a Monday night, with debutants Diego Costa, Thibaut Courtois and Cesc Fabregas instantly making their mark.

Scott Arfield had scored against the run of play but a three-goal blitz over 17 first-half minutes delivered the knock-out that settled the bout. Early on, Diego Costa was preposterously booked for diving when he should have earned a penalty, but the Spain striker earned his just reward for his performance with the leveller. Then Fabregas’s truly sublime pass after a mesmeric 23-touch Chelsea move was duly dispatched by Andre Schurrle, before Branislav Ivanovic guided the Catalan’s corner in for the third.

The Blues last lost a top-flight encounter at Turf Moor in the old First Division in August 1973, which was also the last occasion we failed to score against them in any game at that level.

On our most recent meeting at Turf Moor, in March 2022, Chelsea notched four goals for the third time in four visits. All the goals came in the second half, James breaking the deadlock with tricky feet and a smart finish two minutes after the break. Kai Havertz bagged himself a brace before Christian Pulisic completed the scoring.

Wham, bam, thank you 'Mando

There was an 82-second gap between the rapid-fire goals from Mudryk and Broja that blew Fulham away on Monday – the closest together since Eden Hazard and Marcos Alonso scored 70 seconds apart against Everton on 5 November 2016. That was during a 5-0 display rated one of the finest ever in the Premier League.

Coincidentally, the following night just 65 seconds elapsed between Luton’s equaliser and Burnley’s winner through Bruun Larsen (the first for his new club).

Inversion therapy

Some full-backs are experts on one side only. Others – such as Steve Clarke, William Gallas or Cesar Azpilicueta – thrive as fish out of water. Cucurella has grown in confidence as a temporary right-back while Gusto is suspended and it has helped that the left-footer has so far faced modern ‘inverted’ wingers, who take him on on his stronger left side.

A winger playing on the opposite side to the foot they favour tends to open more pitch acreage than someone inclined to hug the line. Fortunately for Chelsea, Palmer and Mudryk can go either side of their full-back.

Of the many players Kompany has tried in that position, Mike Tresor, Bruun Larsen, Aaron Ramsey (more of a No10) and Redmond are all right-footed, while Wilson Odobert and Koleosho, adept with either foot, habitually cut in towards goal whichever side they play.

Infinite Athlete and beyond

The arrival of front-of-shirt sponsor Infinite Athlete coincided with back-to-back wins for the Blues – a promising start for a sports performance technology company.

The hook-up with Three in 2020 started with an apt 3-1 scoreline at Brighton but then a home reverse to Liverpool, and Yokohama’s trophy-laden presence on our shirts started with three winless games in August 2015. Samsung’s decade of highly-visible success, though, sparked into life with nine straight victories, beginning with the Community Shield on 7 August 2005.

Ken’s comeback kings

Next Saturday it will be exactly 45 years since one of Chelsea’s greatest comeback victories. Bolton centre-half Sam Allardyce scored a last-minute own goal to complete a stunning 4-3 win from 3-0 down at half-time at the Bridge on 14 October 1978. The catalyst for the Blues’ revival was Ken Shellito summoning Clive Walker from the bench in the 71st minute.

The homegrown left-winger ran the Trotters ragged, setting up Tommy Langley for the first reply and netting the equaliser with three minutes to go. In stoppage time Walker tore clear again and crossed dangerously, forcing the muddled Allardyce to find his own net, to the delight of the Shed End.