Thomas Tuchel takes charge of his second Premier League game on Sunday as Chelsea host an in-form Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

Tuchel’s first outing as Blues boss showed plenty of promise, but it was the same old story in many ways as Chelsea couldn’t find a way past a resolute Wolves side, while they almost suffered a sucker-punch late on when Pedro Neto was denied by the crossbar.

Final preparations before another home game ? Happy Friday, blues fans ? pic.twitter.com/bwFoncPxFR

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 29, 2021

Sean Dyche’s Clarets haven’t had any such issues in front of goal as of late, smashing three past Aston Villa in midweek as they made it three wins on the bounce in all competitions – a run started by their superb 1-0 over Liverpool at Anfield.

An intriguing battle awaits between Chelsea’s band of expensively assembled superstars and Burnley’s red hot side. Here’s 90min’s preview of the game.

When is kick off? Sunday 31 January
What time is kick off? 12:00 (GMT)
Where is it played? Stamford Bridge
TV channel/live stream? BT Sport 1 (UK), fuboTV (US)
Referee? Graham Scott
VAR? Michael Oliver

Tuchel confirmed in his first press conference as Chelsea boss that N’Golo Kante was back in training and so he has a fully-fit squad to choose from. The Frenchman is unlikely to be thrown straight into the starting XI, meaning Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic will likely continue in midfield.

Mason Mount could be recalled after impressing in a short cameo against Wolves, while Tammy Abraham could also be given the nod up front in place of Olivier Giroud.

The visitors are likely to be without Josh Brownhill as he begins rehab on a foot injury picked up in the win over Villa, while top scorer Ashley Barnes could also miss out – leaving Jay Rodriguez to partner Chris Wood in a two-man attack.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Silva, Chilwell; Jorginho, Kovacic; Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi; Abraham.

Burnley (4-4-2): Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters; Brady, Westwood, Cork, McNeil; Rodriguez, Wood.

Chelsea

Chelsea 0-0 Wolves – Premier League – (27/01)
Chelsea 3-1 Luton – FA Cup fourth round – (24/01)
Leicester 2-0 Chelsea – Premier League – (19/01)
Fulham 0-1 Chelsea – Premier League – (16/01)
Chelsea 4-0 Morecambe – FA Cup third round – (10/01)

Burnley

Burnley 3-2 Aston Villa – Premier League – (27/01)
Fulham 0-3 Burnley – FA Cup fourth round – (24/01)
Liverpool 0-1 Burnley – Premier League – (21/01)
West Ham 1-0 Burnley – Premier League – (16/01)
Burnley 0-1 Manchester United – Premier League – (12/01)

It’s been difficult to predict what sort of Chelsea performance we’re going to get all season, so doing so under new management is even more tricky.

That being said, Wednesday’s draw at Wolves certainly showed signs of change, with the Blues looking to keep hold of the ball and draw the opposition out – all that was missing was that final ball which you feel is bound to come eventually with all the quality in their squad.

Burnley arrive at Stamford Bridge in superb form, and their last away outing in the Premier League saw them curtail Liverpool’s superb home record. They’re likely to put up a solid fight, but Chelsea’s quality should shine through.

Prediction: Chelsea 1-0 Burnley