Top-flight football returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time in three weeks as Chelsea take on relegation battlers Burnley in a traditional – and this season rare – Saturday 3pm kick-off.

The Blues have won 12 and drawn four of our 17 Premier League meetings with the Clarets, who have not kept a top-flight clean sheet at the Bridge since 1973.

Mauricio Pochettino’s improving side have defeated five of the last six visitors to the Bridge in the league and have found the net in each of our last eleven home Premier League fixtures.

Scoring in a twelfth successive Premier League outing on home soil would represent Chelsea's most consistent run in four-and-a-half years.

Coincidentally, the Clarets have conceded in eleven games on the spin, including two or more goals on each of their last five away trips. Historically, though, they have collected more Premier League points at the Bridge (six) than at Turf Moor (one).

Vincent Kompany’s team have earned just nine points from a possible 42 on their travels, only the bottom-placed Blades (with six) recording fewer.

We may expect late goals – only Crystal Palace (21) and Sheffield Utd (20) have conceded more times over the last quarter-hour than Burnley (17) and Chelsea (15, though the Blues have also netted ten in reply).

The other two promoted sides to have visited this season, Luton and Sheffield United, were both defeated without conceding a goal (3-0 and 2-0 respectively).

Chelsea team news

The Blues possess a fine home league record against newly-promoted clubs, winning 53, drawing 12, and losing just three of the past 68 matches.

We have won all four of our league games this season against last summer's new arrivals, including October’s 4-1 defeat of Burnley.

That match was one of six this season in which Cole Palmer has contributed a goal and an assist. The fifth came against Newcastle United in the Premier League three weeks ago.

Raheem Sterling’s overall team contribution has been instrumental in our recent upturn while in-form Nicolas Jackson will aim to score in a third successive league fixture. He also netted at Burnley.

Noni Madueke enjoyed a strong international break with England Under-21s and also got on the scoresheet last time out against Leicester City. He will be pushing for a start, as will Mykhailo Mudryk after firing Ukraine to Euro 2024.

Pochettino’s options elsewhere have been disrupted by injury. Trevoh Chalobah will be assessed ahead of the game, as will Ben Chilwell and Enzo Fernandez following their exploits with England and Argentina respectively.

Robert Sanchez is set to miss the game, which will likely result in the goalkeeper gloves being handed back to Djordje Petrovic. In midfield, Cesare Casadei’s height could prove handy against tall, powerful opponents.

Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto, who have made telling contributions in recent games, are fit and Axel Disasi could have a different partner in central defence – potentially Benoit Badiashile or Thiago Silva – if Chalobah is not able to feature.

Goal contributions in all competitions 2023/24

Opposition scout – Burnley

One spot off the bottom of the table, Pochettino expects the Clarets to play with freedom, physicality, and the drive to survive.

However, head coach Vincent Kompany is unlikely to have any of his sidelined players back for the game, meaning Ameen Al-Dakhil, Luca Koleosho, Han-Noah Massengo, Aaron Ramsey and Nathan Redmond will miss out.

Kompany’s defensive skills earned him untold medals and honours but this season only Sheffield United (74) have a worse record than Burnley’s 63 league goals conceded.

The Belgian coach dropped goalkeeper James Trafford for the first time this season with Arijanet Muric stepping in for the morale-boosting win at Brentford. The Kosovan may retain his place despite Trafford’s England maiden call-up.

Only Nottingham Forest (18) have conceded more goals from set pieces this season than the Clarets (15). On the road, though, their main issue is goalscoring: Sheffield United (12) are the only rival to have notched fewer than the Lancastrians’ 14.

Across the campaign, Lyle Foster has the most goal involvements (four goals, three assists) for Burnley. However, it is David Fofana – on loan from Chelsea and therefore ineligible this weekend – who’s contributed most in recent weeks.

Since joining on loan in January, the forward has struck four times in eight games (half his club’s recent tally) and claimed an assist. Fofana has now had a hand in 17 per cent of Burnley’s 29 goals in the campaign.

The history

Chelsea have won 12, drawn four, and lost just one of our 17 Premier League meetings with Burnley. We have scored in every game.

The Lancastrians’ most recent visit was in November 2021. Kai Havertz opened the scoring for the league leaders in the first half with a near-post header from Reece James’ irresistible cross.

But a one-sided contest ended with the points shared as a single goal was the Londoners’ only return from 25 shots against Nick Pope. With ten minutes to play, Jay Rodriguez headed on for Matej Vydra to beat Edouard Mendy to complete the scoring.

Back in August 1974, a veteran Blues side surged into a 3-0 half-time lead against the Clarets through Peter Houseman, Bill Garner and Charlie Cooke.

It was a fitting way to mark the opening of the brand new East Stand but – much like the fortune that built the grandstand – the hosts looked spent after the break and Burnley hit back to make it 3-3 with ten minutes to go.

There was no such problem back in September 1957 as Chelsea’s juniors scheme made a thrilling impact with a 6-1 victory against the Lancastrians at the Bridge.

Teenager Jimmy Greaves, playing in just his eighth game, and each of the other four men on target that afternoon – Mickey Block, Peter Brabrook, Tony Harrison (2), and Ron Tindall – had come through the youth system.

Cold strikes hot

Cole Palmer continues to pass milestones during his incredible debut season at Chelsea.

With his 19-goal contributions – eleven goals, eight assists – the Wythenshawe wonder can now firmly set his sights on becoming just the fifth Chelsea player in the Premier League era to register 20 goals or assists in their debut campaign in Blue.

The others? Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink (32 in 2000/01), Eden Hazard (20 2012/13), Diego Costa (23 in 2014/15), and Cesc Fàbregas (21 in the same title-winning campaign).

Chelsea March on

As the green shoots of spring begin to appear, Chelsea could make it 24 years and counting since we last suffered a home Premier League defeat in March.

Since a surprise 4-2 loss for Claudio Ranieri’s side against high-flying Sunderland in 2001, Chelsea have played 38 home league matches in the third month of the year and have won 32 and drawn six.

The last occasion we played Burnley in March – which came two years ago at Turf Moor – a second-half onslaught produced a 4-0 win for the Blues.

Closing in on clubs above

Over the last dozen Premier League matches, only six teams have performed better than Pochettino's side in the Premier League.

Improvement is being made and beating sides a few points ahead of us in the table such as Newcastle United – is a double whammy as it injects confidence and brings the opponent within striking distance.

The Blues sit eleventh after putting the Magpies to flight, but we are just four points shy of seventh and a European place. We also have a game in hand (at home to Tottenham Hotspur) on the five teams directly above us in the table.

Manchester United (sixth) and West Ham (seventh) are due at the Bridge before the season’s close. A trip to Brighton (eighth) is also too far away.

Up for the drop

Three of Chelsea’s next four Premier League games are against sides scrapping for survival near the bottom of the table.

Not long after the visit of Burnley (19th) comes a trip to Sheffield United (20th). Everton (16th) still have to come to Stamford Bridge while our penultimate campaign fixture is at 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.

The Blues may well have a big say in which three clubs suffer the drop. Indeed, over the past five seasons, the Londoners have averaged 4.4 wins, 0.6 draws, and one defeat in the six home and away games against the three relegated clubs.

Having already taken maximum points off fellow promoted side Luton Town this campaign Chelsea could yet add two more endangered clubs to the league ‘doubles’ list.

Record against relegation battlers (23/24)