It is the third such early weekend appearance of the season for the Londoners and again comes straight after an international break – a dozen Blues and 10 of Scott Parker’s squad have been away with their country.

Third-placed Chelsea have won our last seven games in this time slot, most recently at home to Fulham and at Nottingham Forest, by an aggregate of five goals to nil.

The Clarets have lost more league games (7) this season than all but Wolverhampton Wanderers (9) and defeat in the capital at West Ham United before the break saw them slip to 17th in the table.

The Lancastrians have proved no pushover at home, though, conceding just 18 per cent of league goals on their own patch. The 3-2 loss at West Ham a fortnight ago was the first time this season they opened the scoring and lost.

However, the 3-0 taming of Wolves before the break means Chelsea have beaten every bottom-six opponent faced, home or away.

The world champions were defeated at home last month by Sunderland, a team promoted alongside Burnley, but have been much more impressive on the road this term. Maresca’s side arrive on the back of successive away league wins at Tottenham Hotspur and Forest without conceding, ranking first in the division for big chances created and second for goals and clean sheets.

The Londoners are also undefeated at Turf Moor in the Premier League era, drawing once and winning eight times, including six three-point hauls in a row.

The history

Burnley are one of the 19 opponents Chelsea faced in our debut season in the Football League Division Two, in 1905/06.

A March loss at Turf Moor damaged the Pensioners’ hopes of instant promotion but the earlier game at Stamford Bridge on 18 November, when extravagantly-moustached Scottish centre-half-cum-striker Bob McRoberts netted the only goal, had historical significance too. It was played simultaneously to another Chelsea XI losing at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, the only official instance of the Londoners fielding two first teams on the same day.

The Brun valley ground proved so inhospitable that the win there in February 1950 was only our second success at the 14th attempt, and ended six visits in a row without scoring. Even consecutive 2-1 victories in the mid-Sixties were relief from a range of draws and defeats at Turf Moor.

The most infamous was the 6-2 loss resulting from Tommy Docherty sending eight first-teamers home from Blackpool for defying his hotel curfew in April 1965. Just weeks earlier, the Blues were genuine treble contenders, in the end they had to settle for the League Cup alone.

A 27-year gap from 1983 to 2010 pressed the reset button and the Londoners have downed the Clarets eight times in the past nine trips to Turf Moor, drawing the other. In four of those Chelsea found the net four times, most recently the 4-1 comeback win in October 2023.

Wilson Odobert, now of Spurs, opened the scoring early on and the Blues were slow to respond, fortunate to level through an own goal by Ameen Al-Dakhil just before the break. Raheem Sterling then won a penalty, converted by Cole Palmer for his first goal for the club, before Nicolas Jackson secured the three points.

Know this...

Chelsea have won on our last five visits to Turf Moor, by 4-0, 4-2, 3-0, 4-0 and 4-1. Only two teams in England’s top flight have ever won six times in a row at the same away ground by three or more goals – the Blues at Arsenal in 1960-65, and Manchester City at West Bromwich Albion in 2013-21.

The Blues could also match our club record of eight consecutive victories in 12.30pm Saturday kick-offs, set between May 2005 and December 2017. Only Man City (nine between May 2021 and October 2022) have managed more.

The Londoners' current away record of 10 points this season is bettered only by Arsenal and Tottenham (both 13).

Maresca’s side have claimed five Premier League clean sheets this season. Only Arsenal (seven) have more.

The Blues have scored eight second-half league goals on the road, conceding only once after the break.

Bolton Wanderers' then-Reebok Stadium (nine wins in 2004-11) and Sunderland's Stadium of Light (nine in 2003-13) are the only opposition grounds Chelsea have recorded more consecutive Premier League victories at than Turf Moor.

Chelsea have the second-highest ball possession over the Premier League season with 59.3 per cent. Parker’s men have the lowest, 38.8 per cent.

The Clarets have the lowest expected goals tally in the Premier League (8.3) while the world champions have the highest (20.8).

The Lancastrians’ last top-flight clean sheet against the Blues came in a 1-0 win in August 1973.

Burnley failed to register a single shot on target at home to Arsenal in the 2-0 loss earlier this month, which made them just the fifth club to record 1,900 English league losses, after Notts County, Barnsley, Grimsby Town and Bolton.