English Premier
2026-02-21 - Chelsea vs Burnley
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 21st February 2026 - Kick Off 3pm
Chelsea
Liam Rosenior must have wondered if it was going to be 'one of those nights' when his forwards missed some glaring chances early in the FA Cup Fourth Round tie at Hull City. Fortunately for the players and the Chelsea supporters that travelled, those misses were not costly and the side have progressed to the Fifth Round and had plenty of time to prepare for a return to action in the Premier League.
Playing on Friday night on FA Cup Fourth Round Weekend means Chelsea are well rested as they look to bounce back from dropping two Premier League points in the 2-2 draw with Leeds United. That result does mean Chelsea remain in 5th place in the standings, but Liverpool have been able to close behind them with just 2 points between the two rivals for Champions League Football. It would be a huge blow for Chelsea if they are not able to improve the erratic 6-4-3 record at Stamford Bridge this weekend with big games to come in March.
Chelsea put up another victory under the new manager in the big win at Hull City, but they failed to hold onto a 2-0 lead against another Yorkshire team in the draw with Leeds United. They had won 3 in a row at home in all competitions and looked well on course for another victory at Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea were punished for some wastefulness and making mistakes at the back.
Marc Cucurella is a doubt, while the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro are expected to be restored to the starting eleven.
Burnley
Scott Parker would have been keen to see his team build on the upset of Crystal Palace in the last Premier League game played, but the supporters vented their anger in Burnley's upset home loss to Mansfield Town in the FA Cup Fourth Round. That means the pressure is once again on the manager and the only way to cool the discontent in the stands is by winning another League fixture.
Seven minutes turned the game at Selhurst Park right around as Burnley fought back from 2-0 behind to win 2-3, although they remain in 19th place in the Premier League table. There are still 9 points between Burnley and Nottingham Forest in 17th and that is why the FA Cup exit hurts a bit more with the feeling being that Burnley have little left to play for this season. The side travel to West London with a 2-2-9 away record after winning at Crystal Palace.
Burnley have lost 3 of the last 4 games played in all competitions following the Cup exit against Mansfield Town and they needed to battle incredibly hard to avoid another loss at Selhurst Park. That result does mean Burnley have lost 2 of the last 5 away Premier League games played, but they have not avoided defeat in consecutive away games during this campaign.
Changes were made for the FA Cup tie last weekend, but the squad looks otherwise unchanged with a number of players still on the sidelines.
Head to Head
Goals at the end of both halves helped Chelsea to a comfortable 0-2 win at Turf Moor earlier in the season.
In recent years they have enjoyed playing in that part of the North West, but Chelsea have only won 2 of the last 6 at Stamford Bridge when hosting Burnley.
During that run, Burnley have won once and the last 2 here have both ended in score draws.
Prediction
Both of these teams were involved in the FA Cup Fourth Round last weekend against lower League opponents, but it was Chelsea who avoided any upset in the convincing win at Hull City.
On the other hand, Burnley were the one big story of the Fourth Round as they were dumped out at home by Mansfield Town and it was clear that the fans were not at all happy with Scott Parker or the players that performed on the day.
They were also both involved in Premier League games that had seen the home team move into a 2-0 lead last time out.
However, Chelsea were not able to hold onto that advantage in the 2-2 draw with Leeds United at this Stadium, while Burnley scored three times in seven minutes to fight back and eventually hold on for a 2-3 win at Crystal Palace.
Burnley need plenty more wins if they are going to find a miraculous recovery in the Premier League and avoid relegation back into the Championship.
Supporters will have left South London perhaps feeling like the season could be turned around, but Burnley are still having real issues at both ends of the field and that makes it tough to believe the win at Crystal Palace was little more than a last gasp for the club this season.
They have enjoyed recent visits to Stamford Bridge, even in seasons which have ultimately ended in relegation, and that has to be respected. Scott Parker is likely going to set his team up to try and frustrate the hosts and see if they can exploit any nerves, but it is a big ask of Burnley to contain this Chelsea attack.
Liam Rosenior's tactics have allowed Chelsea to express themselves, although they are still looking to settle into a consistent rhythm. There are times within matches that Chelsea seem to lose concentration and the team can ill-afford to do that with the fight for the Champions League places looking like it will come down to the wire.
Dropping more home points would be a huge setback and especially after a period in the season when Chelsea have been able to sit back and rest and recover with eight days between matches.
Chelsea are likely going to have the majority of the possession and create the best chances, but they will just need to remain focused and get the job done.
The layers are expecting a really comfortable win, but Chelsea will have to ride out some sticky moments and they may not clear the main Asian Handicap line.
That would only happen if the home team win by three or more goals, but it may be a better approach to take some of the juice out of the price and back Chelsea to win by at least a two goal margin.
Only five of the Burnley away losses have been by more than a single goal margin so they deserve respect, while only four Chelsea home wins have been by more than a single goal margin. Three of those have ended 2-0 and adding in Burnley's recent successes at Stamford Bridge and you may not want to ask too much from the home team on Saturday.
The Pick :
Chelsea 2-0 Burnley
