Struggling Clarets have power to land a blow on depleted Arsenal defence

Sky Premier League & Main Event, 12.30pm

There has been a pleasing symmetry to Arsenal’s first season under Unai Emery with two defeats followed by a 22-match unbeaten run and then another two losses.

Bookmakers reckon a home Premier League fixture against Burnley is the ideal opportunity for the Gunners to start another long unbeaten sequence but the struggling Clarets may be able to unsettle a severely depleted Arsenal defence.

The Gunners rearguard has been like a long-running soap opera under Emery with an ever-changing cast of characters and some familiar faces popping up in unexpected cameo roles.

Midfielder Granit Xhaka was at centre-back for the midweek EFL Cup quarter-final defeat to Tottenham while Rob Holding is out with a long-term injury after an solid start to the season.

Shkodran Mustafi and Hector Bellerin are sidelined for the Burnley game and Emery has been unable to ease captain Laurent Koscielny back after a serious Achilles injury.

The French stopper made his first league start at Southampton last weekend and looked understandably rusty in a 3-2 defeat at St Mary’s.

All three goals conceded by the Gunners were headers – two from Danny Ings and a late winner from Charlie Austin – and that fact is unlikely to escape the attention of Burnley manager Sean Dyche.

The Clarets have powerful attacking options in Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes and Sam Vokes while Robbie Brady’s set-piece delivery could also trouble Arsenal.

Dyche’s men claimed an important 1-0 win over Brighton in their last home game, after a run of six defeats in seven, but they conceded an injury-time goal to lose to Tottenham last weekend.

Their defence tends to struggle against the better teams in the division, however – they lost 5-0 at Manchester City and suffered home defeats to Liverpool (3-1) and Chelsea (4-0).

So miserly in defence on their way to a remarkable seventh-place finish last season, Burnley have conceded four goals at Fulham and West Ham this term and there may be more to come on their latest trip to London.

For all Arsenal’s defensive issues, there is great quality further up the field and they have scored at least twice in 13 of their 17 league games under Emery.

Mesut Ozil is available and could start – especially with a fitness doubt over Henrikh Mkhitaryan – while Alex Iwobi has improved under the new boss and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette can be devastating in front of goal.

The Gunners are 1-4 to return to winning ways but Burnley certainly have the potential to rattle a depleted home defence and backing an Arsenal win with both teams to score could prove profitable.

Emery’s side have kept only one clean sheet in their last ten league matches – against Huddersfield, the lowest scorers in the top flight – and they are still yet to lead at half-time in a Premier League game under Emery.

They went in 2-1 down at Southampton last weekend and trailed 1-0 at the break against Spurs in the League Cup, so the Arsenal-Arsenal double result may be worth swerving at 4-5.

Recommendation
Arsenal to win & both teams to score
2pts 15-8 Betway

Bet on this match at Soccerbase.com

Team news
Arsenal
Defenders Shkodran Mustafi, Rob Holding, Hector Bellerin and Konstantinos Mavropanos are out. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Sead Kolasinac are doubts.

Burnley
Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Robbie Brady could be fit but Aaron Lennon is sidelined after knee surgery.

Key stat
Both teams have scored in seven of Arsenal’s ten Premier League wins this season.

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