Manchester City welcome Vincent Kompany’s Burnley to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, and it’s a golden chance to put pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool.
City have made a good start to 2024, winning all their matches so far across all competitions.
The 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup last Friday was satisfying given the club’s record at their stadium, and spirits are high at the moment.
Pep Guardiola can keep the momentum going with a win against Burnley, who currently sit 19th in the table and five points adrift of safety.
It’s been a tough old season so far for former Etihad captain Kompany, who’ll be itching to pull off a shock result on Wednesday night.
Chris Sutton thinks Man City v Burnley ‘won’t be a pummelling’ as he makes score prediction
City are heavy favourites for this game.
After a rocky period before the Club World Cup, City are now back on track and the wind is in the sails.
Key players like Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku have returned from injury, with Erling Haaland also about to come back.
City should not have any issues here, against a side that have averaged two goals conceded per game in the league so far.
In the eyes of BBC pundit Chris Sutton, City will win on Wednesday, but he isn’t expecting it to be a thrashing. He said (BBC Sport): “Former City defender Vincent Kompany will get a great reception when he brings his Burnley side back to Etihad Stadium, but I don’t fancy his chances of getting anything else.
“It’s a big night at the top of the table, with Liverpool playing Chelsea later on Wednesday, and I am not expecting City to drop any points. I like the way Burnley play football but they can be a little naive as well.
“It won’t be a pummelling but City should win comfortably, and the hardest thing for their title rivals to consider is that Kevin De Bruyne is getting fitter and Erling Haaland will be back in action soon.”
This is a somewhat surprising prediction from Sutton, because City’s record against Burnley in recent times is extremely good.
You have to go back to March 2015 for the last Burnley victory against City (1-0 at Turf Moor). City have won 16 of the 17 meetings since, including the last 12 in a row.
Since that defeat in March 2015, City have scored at least three goals in 10 of the meetings.
A chance to put pressure on Liverpool
With Liverpool kicking off slightly later on Wednesday against Chelsea, this is a chance for City to put pressure on the Reds. Not that word will filter through to Jurgen Klopp’s players on-field if City do win.
But it’s still a good chance for City to keep the momentum going.
Burnley are likely to sit in and defend for their lives – we see it time and time again from clubs down at the bottom of the league coming to the Etihad. Ultimately, that way of playing is more likely to yield points, rather than being expressive.
It will be interesting to see if De Bruyne gets a start for City, since he is back fit again now. Pep Guardiola has said that he’s ready to play 90 minutes, and his creativity may be required to pick the lock.
Perhaps Jack Grealish could also come in, with Paul Merson describing him as a ‘fantastic team player’ ahead of the game.
