Two clubs chasing the 2014-15 Premier League title will do battle today in a league match between Burnley and Chelsea. The first-division clash scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET will be held at Turf Moor Stadium in Burnley and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on NBC Sports.
Criticized for his approach to the modern game last season, Jose Mourinho enters the new campaign with an opposing philosophy. The Chelsea boss, finally boasting a quality side fit for a title run, understands that time and space will be the key to his club's success in 2014.
"We need more quality in our football," said Mourinho (via the Independent). "When you have matches with space and time, it's much easier to play football. [It's more difficult] when you don't have space and time because a lot of football is based around tactics and systems. In a very simple way, everything depends on space and time."
"And when you don't have space and time to play," he added. "You need more quality. We are working exactly in that direction. We need more quality in our game, and we are working on that. We have worked on exactly that in training, expecting a team to be defensive and try to close every road to goal."
Those training sessions will be put to the test in Burnley this afternoon.
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: All eyes are on Diego Costa this afternoon. The 25-year-old joined Chelsea in the summer transfer window after making 35 league appearances for Atletico Madrid last season, contributing 27 goals.
Burnley's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Heaton; Mee, Shackell, Duff, Trippier; Marney, Taylor; Arfield, Ings, Kightly; Jutkiewicz
Chelsea's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Cech; Luis, Terry, Cahill; Ivanovic; Oscar, Matic, Fabregas; Hazard, Costa, Willian
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (statistics and lineups via WhoScored).
Standings
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 2 | Arsenal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 2 | Liverpool | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 2 | Swansea City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 5 | Aston Villa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 5 | Hull City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 8 | Everton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 8 | Leicester City | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 8 | Sunderland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 8 | West Bromwich Albion | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 12 | Burnley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 12 | Chelsea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 14 | Manchester United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 14 | Southampton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 17 | Queens Park Rangers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 17 | Stoke City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 17 | West Ham United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 20 | Newcastle United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
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