Pep Guardiola will aim at continuity for Manchester City form as he prepares to welcome Burnley at the Etihad.
Since their defeat at the hands of Aston Villa, Manchester City, who face Burnley on Wednesday, have won nine out of their ten games in all competitions. That run of results has propelled them beyond third-placed Arsenal, and they are now considered a pivotal challenger to Liverpool in the context of the title race.
Manchester City also broke their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hoodoo with a late win over Spurs in their FA Cup fourth-round clash. Guardiola’s side dominated the game for long periods, and until Nathan Ake’s late strike, it did look like they would go a sixth game there without scoring. However, the current holders are now through to the fifth round.
Before that, they beat Newcastle United despite being behind in the game for long periods. With that win, Guardiola’s men are only five points behind Liverpool’s leaders with a game in hand. They now host Burnley in what the manager would describe as a must-win encounter and will certainly hope for a repeat performance from their 3-0 win on the opening weekend of this season.
While Manchester City are gunning for the top prize, visitors Burnley are struggling to get out of the bottom three, with Vincent Kompany’s men pinned down in 19th spot. The former Etihad favourite will hope for a fruitful return to his old stomping grounds, and it will be considered a big achievement if he can manage to get a result here.
Since the start of December, Burnley have managed only two wins, against fellow relegation battlers Sheffield United and against Fulham. They have since been knocked out of the FA Cup by Tottenham and have only managed a draw in the subsequent four games after the win over the Cottagers, which came against Luton Town.
Overall, the Clarets desperately need a big result, and their record against most teams is, at best, appalling. Hence, in this second half of the season, Kompany must find a way to challenge his players to fight back and get out of the bottom three, as a positive result against Manchester City will help them in a big way.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola is close to having an entire squad at his disposal, with Erling Haaland rejoining training. The Norwegian has missed a few games since the turn of the year. But there are chances of him making it to the matchday squad.
Manuel Akanji remains the other potential absentee and may not make the midweek clash. Other than that, Manchester City will have a complete set of players, meaning Guardiola could probably name the same back four of Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol for the game against Burnley.
Kevin De Bruyne, who has made three substitute appearances since returning to action, could be in for his first start. However, Haaland will probably have to stay content with a place on the bench, with Guardiola likely to decide to give the Norwegian some minutes depending on how the game goes.
Hence, Julian Alvarez might get another run in as Manchester City’s leading striker, a game where he wants to prove something to his manager. If De Bruyne makes the cut, Guardiola might change his formation to a 4-3-3 to accommodate the Belgian and Bernardo Silva alongside Rodri, which could see Mateo Kovacic take his place on the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva; Foden, Alvarez, Doku
Burnley
Vincent Kompany would have certainly liked to have a full-fledged squad at his disposal. But unfortunately, Burnley are missing a host of their first-team players. Charlie Taylor, Nathan Redmond, and Luca Koleosho are all out for the long term, while others are unavailable with separate problems.
Jordan Beyer, Hannes Delcroix, Sander Berge and Aaron Ramsey are absent, meaning Kompany must tinker with his squad and make the right selection decisions. Hjalmar Ekdal, who recently started a game for Burnley, is attempting to keep his place in defence.
Dara O’Shea, while Ameen Al-Dakhil could join Ekdal in the backline, with the latter likely to replace Taylor at left-back. Josh Cullen and Josh Brownhill are primed to keep their central midfield positions intact, with Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Wilson Odobert likely to take up the wide positions.
Up front, Kompany will persist with two strikers to lead the line, with Zeki Amdouni and Lyle Foster his best options.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Trafford; Vitinho, O’Shea, Ekdal, Al-Dakhil; Gudmundsson, Cullen, Brownhill, Odobert; Amdouni, Foster
Key Stats
- Manchester City have won nine out of their last ten games in all competitions.
- Manchester City have won their last 12 matches against Burnley in all competitions.
- Manchester City have kept a clean sheet in their last eight matches against Burnley in all competitions.
- Burnley are winless in their last four games across all competitions.
- Burnley are currently five points from safety.
Player to Watch
Kevin De Bruyne
The Belgian playmaker could be in line for his first start in a long time, having proven his worth with three substitute appearances since returning from Injury. Unlike many other teams, Manchester City are blessed with almost the full set of players, of which De Bruyne is probably the most important.
Pep Guardiola’s side have picked up form at a crucial period of the season, and he will bank on De Bruyne to play the role of a catalyst. Fans will look forward to the lethal partnership between him and Erling Haaland in the coming period. However, these games, like the ones against Burnley, might provide the Belgians with a platform to build upon with a stunning performance.
Prediction
Manchester City 3-0 Burnley
Manchester City restricted Tottenham to the bare minimum of shots in their recent FA Cup encounter and will try to do so with a settled back four against Burnley. Pep Guardiola may have seen his team’s form rise to a point where they could put in a concerted run of results, meaning Burnley could have a difficult time at the Etihad.
Manchester City are also beginning to unwrap their tremendous scoring form and could unleash their attack against an otherwise leaky Burnley side. Guardiola’s men are clear favourites to put at least three goals past Vincent Kompany’s men while keeping a clean sheet in the process.
