The State of Play
On the face of it, this appears a complete mis-match. World and European champions Manchester City have won their last seven games in all competitions and are starting to show the kind of form that makes them title favourites after an uncharacteristic wobble before Christmas.
The swagger is back, allied to the steely determination that saw them grind out a 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round win at Tottenham on Friday night.
They sit second in the Premier League, five points behind leaders Liverpool but with a game in hand.
Read our other sports news stories here:
Pep won’t follow Klopp and Xavi in walking away
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Haaland to return for Burnley clash
Burnley are in an altogether different position. They are 19th and have managed just three league wins from 21 attempts. That’s not to say they are down and out and, under former City legend Vincent Kompany, they will continue plugging away.
Their season will not be defined by match-ups like tomorrow night. Indeed, Saturday’s home game with Fulham represents a more realistic chance of picking up three vital points to close the gap to safety.
Stat Attack is back! 💥
Check out the facts and figures from our past encounters with Burnley ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/pxfXs2BMVf
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 30, 2024
Team News
City are nearing full strength and buoyed by the news striker Erling Haaland is fit and available after being out since early December due to a foot injury. As he did with Kevin De Bruyne, Pep Guardiola will likely manage his re-introduction carefully so the Norway star could start on the bench.
Manuel Akanji and John Stones will also be in the squad.
There may be good news too for the Clarets too with Kompany potentially having four players back. Jordan Beyer, Sander Berge, Aaron Ramsey and Hannes Delcroix are fit and should go straight into the squad for the short trip to the Etihad.
Charlie Taylor remains unavailable, while both Nathan Redmond and Luca Koleosho are also missing.
Expected Line-ups
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Foden, De Bruyne, Silva; Alvarez
Burnley: Trafford; Vitinho, O’Shea, Ekdal, Al-Dakhil; Gudmundsson, Cullen, Brownhill, Odobert; Foster, Amdouni
It’s back to business for Burnley despite knowing what tomorrow’s opponents can be capable of 👊 pic.twitter.com/nkCzYdyMeL
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) January 30, 2024
What they Said
Guardiola on not losing focus
“We will take one game at a time. When we have had good runs before it is because we think that way. It’s Burnley, Burnley, Burnley. We now have almost all the squad fit. Manu is back, John as well and that is the best news for the most important part of the season. It’s important to have everyone.”
Kompany on his mentor Pep Guardiola
“I think people that have his quality have that effect on a lot of people and not just myself. That’s why they’re the best. Everyone is trying to build their own journey, it’s not a carbon copy, it’s got different elements to it but the greats of this world, it’s what they do. They trigger people to do something of their own.”
When and How to Watch
This match will take place at the Etihad Stadium at 19:30 on Wednesday, January 31 and will be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK. It can also be streamed live on the TNT Sports app.
Prediction
In the nine matches Manchester City have played against Burnley at the Etihad Stadium during the Pep Guardiola era, City have managed nine victories and scored 37 goals in the process. That includes a 6-0 demolition of Burnley in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last season. Another comfortable City victory is to be expected, albeit some changes could disrupt their overall fluency in attack.
