Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany will lead his Burnley side to the Etihad Stadium for a challenging Premier League fixture against the defending champions on Wednesday night.
Match Preview:
Man City’s winless streak and goal drought in five matches at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finally came to an end in their FA Cup fourth-round victory over Ange Postecoglou’s team last Friday.
Despite their possession dominance, the Citizens struggled to score, but Nathan Ake’s 88th-minute strike brought them their first-ever goal with their 102nd shot at the venue.
The reigning champions are on a roll this season, having won nine and drawn one of their last 10 matches across all competitions, scoring 28 goals since their defeat to Aston Villa on December 6.
However, they are playing catch-up in the Premier League, sitting second in the table behind Liverpool, who have a five-point advantage at the summit.
Man City will face Burnley, who are currently 19th in the Premier League table, having rested for 19 days since their 1-1 draw against Luton Town on January 12.
Burnley has failed to win any of their last 16 top-flight away games against Man City, but they have accumulated twice as many points away from home (eight) than at Turf Moor (four) so far this season.
Team News
Man City’s Erling Haaland and Manuel Akanji are doubtful, but Guardiola revealed that Haaland is “on the verge” of returning.
Kevin De Bruyne is likely to start in the first XI after making three substitute appearances since recovering from a long-term hamstring injury picked up in the reverse fixture against Burnley.
Charlie Taylor, Nathan Redmond, and Luca Koleosho are facing lengthy spells out through injury for Burnley, while Jordan Beyer, Hannes Delcroix, Sander Berge, and Aaron Ramsey are all doubtful.
Possible Starting Lineups
Man City: (4-2-3-1)
Ederson;
Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol;
Rodri, Kovacic;
Bernardo, Foden, Doku;
Alvarez
Burnley: (4-4-2)
Trafford;
Vitinho, O’Shea, Ekdal, Al-Dakhil;
Gudmundsson, Cullen, Brownhill, Odobert;
Amdouni, Foster
Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Burnley
Considering the form of the two sides and Man City’s exceptional record against Burnley, it is unlikely that Kompany’s side will get a comfortable win.
However, Guardiola’s men should have few problems breaching Burnley’s leaky backline with their possession-based and goal-hungry style of football.