Chelsea got their competitive season underway last weekend with a below par performance at Wembley against the Arsenal side that beat them to the FA Cup back in May. The game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, with some rather peculiar penalty taking selections from Antonio Conte granting Arsenal the first silverware of the season. I think it’s fair to say that Thibaut Courtois won’t be stepping up to take the spot kicks again anytime soon.

There is a lot of pressure on Chelsea this season. They looked comfortable as they walked to the Premier League title last year, but their reintroduction to the Champions League and a number of summer departures has cat doubt over their ability to defend the title. John Terry has left the club and Diego Costa is expected to depart soon too, whilst Nemanja Matic has been let go, despite Conte’s apparent reluctance to sell him.

The Blues have brought in more than adequate replacements in Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko, and Alvaro Morata, but it remains to be seen if they can adapt quickly to life in the Premier League.

Chelsea’s pre-season was a rather poor affair too, with them losing to Bayern Munich and Inter Milan after a 3-0 win over Arsenal. This short summer campaign could make them slow out of the blocks in the new season as they try to regain their match fitness.

Burnley have had an easier pre-season campaign, beating Shamrock Rovers, Alfreton Town, Preston, and Celta Vigo and drawing with Nottingham Forest. They have lost star defender Michael Keane, but the likes of Phil Bardsley, Jon Walters, and Jack Cork have come in to strengthen the squad.
Burnley’s away form last season almost cost them their place in the Premier League, with them winning just once on the road all season. Towards the end they started to improve though, scoring in ten of their last 12 away matches but only managing three clean sheets.
Chelsea’s defence started to slip towards the end of the campaign to, as they conceded in seven of their final eight home league games. They still won seven of these, and given Burnley’s away record, they should start the season with a win, but we doubt their ability to keep a clean sheet. Odds of 9/4 for a Chelsea Win and Both Teams to Score look great value, as does a 3-1 correct score predictions at 12/1.
We’re opting for Gary Cahill for our anytime goalscorer predictions too. The Chelsea centre back comes in at 13/2, despite scoring an impressive six league goals last season. As you would expect these came from set pieces, and considering Burnley conceded 12 goals from set pieces last season and have lost Keane, this looks a great value bet at 13/2.

From: Internet