Can Burnley Record Their First Win Over Arsenal In Five Decades?

Burnley may have bounced back to the English Premier League in 2016 and found many fans for their way of staying out of the relegation zone as they shock many of the more established teams in the league. However, one of the few blemishes on the record of the Clarets manager Sean Dyche is the failure to record a single victory over Arsenal in the Premier League. In fact, Burnley FC has not recorded a win over the Gunners in 46 years and hope they can change that with three points in the coming weekend.

With little changing at Burnley over the last couple of seasons in terms of personnel, it seems a longshot for the Lancashire team to make an impact and change the recent tide of results. However, the success of the club has been based on the ability of Dyche and his squad to change the expectations of fans at Turf Moor. The question is, are there reasons to think the Clarets have what it takes to overcome an Arsenal team many experts believe had the most impressive transfer window in the Premier League?

Ashley Barnes could be the key to any victory as the team take the trip to the Emirates on Saturday for the lunchtime kickoff. Barnes scored two and looked a handful against Southampton as he continues his development as one of the most prolific strikers in the English Premier League.

What should fill Sean Dyche and Ashley Barnes with glee is the presence of David Luiz in the Arsenal squad and could possibly make his debut on Saturday. Luiz and Barnes clashed towards the end of last season with a stunning win for the Clarets at Chelsea ending with Luiz accusing his opponents of “anti-football.”

Barnes could push the Arsenal defense to breaking point with his ability to get under the skin of opponents and use some old-fashioned tactics to ruffle the feathers of his more heralded opponents. Despite his image as an old fashioned English striker, Barnes has the skills and temperament to prove his worth at The Emirates.

Looking back at the last Arsenal game against Newcastle, there is plenty for Sean Dyche to draw comfort from, particularly the ability of the Geordies to split open their midfield. Jack Cork and Ashley Westwood have been impressive for a number of seasons and the addition of Chelsea loanee Danny Drinkwater will push them on to bigger and better things. The Arsenal midfield duo of Granit Xhaka and Mateo Guendouzi have looked weak with Cork, in particular, more powerful than both Arsenal midfielders. If Westwood can seize control of the midfield the Burnley FC could find themselves creating chances.

If Burnley is to win on Saturday, the main problem facing them is stopping Gabon international striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from adding to his 33 goals from 50 appearances.

If Burnley FC has been built on anything, it is their ability to defend with Ben Mee being one of the most consistent defenders in the English Premier League. James Tarkowski was said to be interesting Leicester City following the sale of Harry Maguire and has all the attributes to help The Clarets to their first victory at Arsenal in 46 years.