Mark Lawrenson states his prediction for Arsenal v Burnley
Mark Lawrenson is backing Arsenal to secure a win against Burnley on Sunday night
Mark Lawrenson is backing Arsenal to secure a narrow win against Burnley at The Emirates on Sunday night.
The Gunners suffered a 2-0 loss to Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the north London derby last weekend.
Arsenal have lost four of their last six Premier League games to leave Mikel Arteta’s side in the bottom half of the top-flight table.
The north London side have already lost six of their 11 fixtures in the Premier League to heap pressure on Arteta.
However, the Gunners will face a Burnley side that have collected a mere six points from 10 games in the English top flight.
Arsenal have lost their last three Premier League games at The Emirates but Burnley haven’t secured a win on the road this season.
BBC Sport pundit Lawrenson is backing Arsenal to secure a narrow win against Burnley at The Emirates on Sunday night.
“The problems seem to be stacking up for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta at the moment,” Lawrenson told BBC Sport.
“The more games his side lose, and the longer they continue to struggle to create chances, the more people are going to ask why Mesut Ozil is not in the Gunners team – he will be eligible to play in the Premier League again in January.
“Since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed his new contract, his form has been indifferent, although you could say that he has been stuck out on the left wing rather than playing as a centre-forward so what are people expecting from him?
“I would still back Arsenal to beat Burnley, but what Arteta really needs is a good performance from his team too. Some of them are coasting at the moment and they are not earning their corn.
“That is not something you could ever accuse any Burnley players of. They are in the bottom three at the moment but I am expecting them to gradually climb away from trouble, partly because of their willingness to scrap.”
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games against Burnley to enjoy success in this top-flight fixture.
The Gunners won five successive games against Burnley before a goalless draw in their last Premier League meeting.
Arsenal will take on Southampton at The Emirates in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
The Gunners will complete a congested run of Premier League fixtures with a trip to Everton on Saturday 19 December.
