Burnley vs. Man City
Venue: Turf Moor
Kick Off: 3PM
Manchester City will be bidding to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they travel to relegation-threatened Burnley this afternoon.
The Citizens are currently one point clear of second-placed Liverpool at the top of the table, while Burnley occupy 19th, four points behind 17th-placed Everton heading into this weekend’s fixtures.
Burnley are in their sixth straight season in the Premier League but face a serious battle to avoid relegation to the Championship, currently sitting 19th in the table, four points behind 17th-placed Everton on the same number of matches.
Sean Dyche’s side are eight points behind 16th-placed Leeds United with three games in hand on the Whites, meanwhile, so their position in the relegation zone is far from final.
The Clarets picked up seven points from their three Premier League matches against Brighton & Hove Albion, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace between February 19 and February 26, but they have lost their last three league games against Leicester City, Chelsea and Brentford.
Whether Burnley remain in the league is not going to depend on their result against the champions this weekend, but they have two huge games against Everton and Norwich City on April 6 and April 10 respectively, which could play a huge role in potentially avoiding relegation.
The Clarets have not beaten Man City since March 2015, losing each of the last nine matches between the two sides, including their last four in the Premier League without conceding a single goal.
Man City, meanwhile, beat Southampton 4-1 in the FA Cup before the international break, with the English champions set to take on Liverpool in the semi-finals of the competition on April 16.
The Citizens were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace in their last league match on March 14, though, and they are now just one point clear of second-placed Liverpool on the same number of games.
Man City are competing on three fronts this term, also preparing for a Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid, with the first leg of the last-eight affair due to take place at the Etihad Stadium next week.
Pep Guardiola’s side will fear Liverpool in the league, FA Cup and Champions League, and it will be fascinating to see how the season finishes for Man City, who have won 22, drawn four and lost three of their 29 league games this term to collect 70 points during another impressive campaign.
The Citizens have the best away record in the Premier League this season, picking up 36 points from 15 matches, while Burnley have the third-best home record, collecting just 12 points from 13 games.
Burnley possible XI: Pope, Roberts, Tarkowski, Long, Taylor, Lennon, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil, Weghorst, Cornet.
Manchester City possible XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Cancelo, De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo, Sterling, Foden, Mahrez
