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As Arsenal prepare to take on Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday, commentator and pundit Michael Owen has come up with his predictions for the match.
The former Liverpool forward is putting his money on the Gunners to come away with a 2-0 win. Following a disastrous start to their league campaign, the North London outfit turned around their form that saw them enter the top six.
However, the side have gone off the boil once again lately, failing to win any of their four matches in 2022, losing three in the process.
A league defeat to Manchester City at the turn of the new year was followed by back-to-back defeats to Nottingham Forest and Liverpool in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup respectively.
Mikel Arteta's side are eager to return to winning ways and Owen feels their improved defensive shape could help them win on Sunday.
Previewing the match for BetVictor, he said:
"This is a big game for Arsenal, who are maybe the team to beat for that fourth-placed position. They’ve shown an improved defensive shape recently, if that can continue, they’ll pick up a lot of points."
The Gunners are currently sixth in the table with 35 points from 20 games, just one point behind rivals Tottenham Hotspur and two off West Ham. A victory on Sunday would take them up to fourth, though Spurs have a game in hand over them.
Arsenal could also take advantage of Burnley's lack of match practise
Burnley, meanwhile, are rock bottom in the Premier League with one win and 11 points in 17 matches. A combination of horrendous form and the loss of key players in transfers have accounted for a torrid campaign for the Lancashire outfit.
The club have also seen a lot of their games postponed in the last few weeks, playing only twice in 2022 so far, the last of which came exactly two weeks ago. This extended break would have kept their players fresh for the Arsenal challenge but Owen feels it could also backfire.
"Burnley haven’t played a game in a couple of weeks, so they should be refreshed at least. With all the disruption in terms of players leaving and games postponed, I worry how they will come into this game though.
"I can see a comfortable win for Arsenal here, 2-0."
