Arsenal vs Burnley – News and Probable Lineups

As the 2025-26 Emirates season wraps up, Premier League leaders Arsenal will face the already-relegated Burnley on Monday night – potentially marking their final evening as non-champions.

A win for Mikel Arteta’s team could secure the title, depending on Bournemouth’s results the following day, while Burnley is focused simply on avoiding the humiliation of finishing last.

Match overview

“Upon review, West Ham number 19 has been penalized for a foul against the goalkeeper. The final verdict is a direct free kick.” These words could etch a mark in Arsenal Football Club’s history.

Referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR official Darren Inglaterra were likely relieved when their decision regarding West Ham United x Arsenal came to fruition last weekend, as it had significant implications for both the title race and relegation battle.

Ultimately, the crucial decision favored Arsenal, declaring that Irons player Pablo fouled David Raya – who was also being tugged by Jean-Clair Todibo – during a chaotic corner, resulting in Callum Wilson’s last-minute equalizer being dismissed.

Arsenal fans rejoiced at Kavanagh’s announcement almost as much as they had celebrated Leandro Trossard’s earlier goal, as the Gunners faced one of their toughest tests of their Premier League title quest, ahead of this home match against Burnley and a concluding fixture against a Crystal Palace side focused on the Conference League.

Manchester City’s commanding win over the Eagles maintained the gap at the Premier League summit to just two points. However, if Arteta’s squad triumphs over Burnley and Pep Guardiola’s team either draws or loses against Bournemouth on Tuesday, Arsenal’s long wait of 22 years for a top-flight title will come to an end.

Concerns over potential faltering arose when Arsenal secured just one victory from their six fixtures between March 22 and April 19, but they have since claimed four wins out of five, including a run of three consecutive matches without conceding.

Moreover, Arsenal possesses an impeccable record against teams already relegated, achieving victory in all 10 such encounters since 1992 – the best track record of its kind in the league.

Therefore, if Burnley manages to pull off a monumental upset in North London, they would set a new Premier League record, although their form paints a distressing picture for the Championship-bound team.

No team has amassed fewer points on the road this season than Burnley’s nine, with only bottom-placed Wolves having fewer (5). Moreover, Burnley is the poorest defensive side away from home in the Premier League, having surrendered 45 goals in their 18 away matches to date.

It is hardly surprising to find out that Burnley has not achieved a single clean sheet on the road this entire season, yet Mike Jackson’s squad managed to halt a five-match losing streak with a respectable 2-2 draw against Aston Villa last weekend, keeping them three points ahead of 20th-placed Wolves.

Interestingly, Burnley will face the Old Gold in the final week of the season, which could pit them in a direct battle to avoid finishing at the bottom of the table. However, if they can draw at the Emirates and Wolves lose to Fulham on Sunday, Burnley would secure a 19th-place finish.

That scenario, however, seems unlikely, as Arsenal has only lost once in their last 19 encounters with Burnley, who have never scored more than one goal in a Premier League match against the title contenders.

Team News

Arsenal’s vital win against West Ham came at a significant cost in defense, as unfortunate Ben White sustained a season-ending knee injury that could jeopardize his World Cup participation, while Riccardo Calafiori was substituted at half-time due to an unspecified issue.

Arteta remains hopeful that Calafiori has not suffered a severe injury, but the Italian international is unlikely to be risked this Monday. Additionally, Jurrien Timber (groin) and Mikel Merino (foot) are both ruled out.

Following the brief experiment of playing Declan Rice at right back, which did not yield positive results at the London Stadium, Arteta is expected to place Cristhian Mosquera in White’s absence. Martin Odegaard is also likely to replace Eberechi Eze after providing the assist for Trossard’s winner last weekend.

Burnley faced injuries as well during gameweek 36, with Hannibal Mejbri departing in the 69th minute due to an undefined injury. However, according to Jackson, he has “recovered well” and may play on Monday.

Veteran right-back Connor Roberts is also on the brink of a return after over a year sidelined with an Achilles injury, having recently played for the Under-21s, but Jordânia Beyer (hamstring) and Josh Cullen (knee) remain out.

Zian Flemming, who netted Burnley’s second in their draw with Villa, now boasts 10 goals this season in the Premier League, making him only the fifth player in Clarets history to reach double figures in a single campaign, following in the footsteps of Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes, Sam Vokes, and Danny Ings.

Arsenal probable starting XI:

Stripe; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Odegaard, Trossard; Gyokeres

Burnley probable starting XI:

Dubravka; Walker, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Pires; Ugochukwu, Florentino; Tchaouna, Hannibal, Anthony; Fleming

Burnley’s head coach Jackson may choose a more defensive formation in an attempt to frustrate Arsenal, but this strategy appears likely to be in vain for a team that has conceded in every away fixture this season.

Faced with a Gunners side that has achieved 39 victories in their last 44 matches against newly-promoted teams – remaining unbeaten in all of them – Burnley is expected to provide little resistance as Arsenal inches closer to glory.