Man City vs. Burnley
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Kick off: 3PM
Manchester City will attempt to get back to winning ways when Premier League action resumes this afternoon, as they welcome Burnley to the Etihad Stadium.
The Citizens played out a goalless draw with Liverpool prior to the international break, leaving three teams locked on 20 points after eight rounds of matches.
Just two points separate Man City, who are top on goal difference, and Tottenham Hotspur in fifth, with the Anfield stalemate two weeks ago giving others a chance to close the gap.
The Citizens cruised over the line in 2017-18, racking up a century of points in what was a campaign like no other in the Premier League era, but two months into their title defence they are not quite having things all their own way.
City are the only member of the current top five not to have improved their points tally from this same stage last season, although at the same time they have still collected maximum points from six of their eight matches.
August’s 1-1 draw away at Wolverhampton Wanderers can be considered two points dropped on the face of it, while the bland draw at Anfield also comes with a tinge of disappointment as Riyad Mahrez missed a late penalty.
Despite blowing the chance to end their long-running Anfield hoodoo, City still entered the international break sitting top of the pile thanks to that superior goal difference over Liverpool and Chelsea – all this and there is still a sense that they have not quite hit top gear just yet.
That will be a big worry for the chasing pack, as City have threatened to flex their muscles over the past month or so by recording four successive wins in all competitions before the Liverpool draw, scoring 12 goals and conceding just once in the process.
Pep Guardiola’s men now have a favourable run of fixtures, facing just Tottenham of the division’s elite clubs over the next month, offering them a chance to potentially open up a clear lead at the summit before the final international break of the year.
Burnley however have slowly climbed the table following a poor start to the campaign that saw them collect just one point from the first 15 on offer.
There is no doubt that the Clarets’ improved league form has coincided with their early exit from the Europa League, having struggled – as many predicted in the summer – to balance their European and domestic commitments.
Burnley also boast an impressive record in matches against the reigning English champions, beating the title winners in each of their last four Premier League campaigns – Manchester United in 2009-10, Man City in 2014-15, Leicester City in 2016-17 and Chelsea in 2017-18.
Man City possible XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Mendy, D.Silva, Fernandinho, Bernardo, Sterling, Aguero, Sane.
Burnley possible XI: Hart, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Gudmundsson, Westwood, Cork, Lennon, Barnes, Vokes.