Manchester City - Burnley predictions and free betting tips [31/01/2024]

Today as part of the 22nd round of the Premier League, Manchester City will host Burnley. These teams occupy diametrically opposite places in the leaderboard: the Citizens are second overall, while the Clarets are 5 points adrift of the vital 17th position.

Predicted Line-ups

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake, Guardiola; Rodri, Kovacic; Bernardo, Foden, Doku; Alvarez.

Burnley: Trafford; Vitinho, O'Shi, Ekdal, Al-Dahil; Gudmundsson, Callen, Brownhill, Odobert; Amduni, Foster.

Stadium

The match will take place in Manchester at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City

Manchester City, having been crowned champions of England three times in a row, are once again contending for the title this season. Currently, the Citizens hold the second position in the Premier League table, with one game in hand and only 5 points behind the leading Liverpool. They have shown their steadiness by not faltering in the last 5 rounds (4 wins and 1 draw) and winning three times - against Everton (3:1), Sheffield United (2:0), and Newcastle (3:2). Last week, they beat Tottenham 1:0 in the 1/16 finals of the FA Cup. Despite City’s dominant possession, it seemed that the match was headed towards a stalemate but an 88th-minute goal from Nathan Ake - the first for City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - proved to be enough for the current FA Cup holders to progress to the fifth round of the competition.

After winning all six matches in their Champions League group, Pep Guardiola's mentees will face Copenhagen in the ⅛ finals. The Mancunians are still missing the injured Holland and Akanji. However, centre-back Stones returned to action last weekend, although he didn’t take to the field. Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, who missed the first half of the season, is regaining control of the team’s rhythm with 1 goal and 2 assists in the last 3 matches in all competitions. In the absence of the Norwegian (14 goals and 4 assists), Julian Alvarez (6 goals and 6 assists) has stepped up on the attack. In transfer news, midfielder Phillips was loaned to West Ham this winter, whilst young winger Echeverri (18 years old) was signed, although the latter will finish the season at his current club, River Plate.

Burnley

Last season's Championship winner, Burnley, is struggling to secure points this season and will likely face relegation (5 points adrift of the 17th spot). Currently, Vincent Kompany's wards hold the 19th overall position, having gathered only 12 points in 21 rounds. Out of their last 7 national championship encounters, the Clarets have managed to win only once, drawing twice and losing four times. In their most recent match on 12 January, the visitors managed a draw at home against fellow survival contender Luton, with the score tight at 1:1. Burnley was close to snatching three crucial points thanks to a first-half goal by Zeki Amduni, but Carlton Morris’ controversial goal in the 92nd minute was allowed following a lengthy VAR check, despite a clear goalkeeper obstruction on James Trafford by Elijah Adebayo.

An interesting fact: Burnley performs better away, gaining twice as many points on their travels (eight), as compared to home games at Turf Moor (four). The team will be without their promising winger Coleosho (1 goal and 1 assist) due to injury. The physical readiness of defenders Bayer and Charlie Taylor, who missed the last round, is still uncertain. The attacking duo will consist of Foster (4 goals and 3 assists) and Amduni (4 goals) again, supported by French winger Odobert (19 years old, 3 goals). During the winter transfer window, Chelsea Forward Dastro Fofana came to the club after disappointing the Union Berlin in the first half of the season. A number of reserve players left for other teams searching for more game time - including wingers Churliov (Schalke 04) and Obafemi (Millwall).

Head-to-Head

Burnley has failed to win any of the last 16 away matches against the Citizens, and the first round encounter ended with a crushing 3:0 victory for the City.

Predictions for the match Manchester City - Burnley

It's hard to imagine a blunder from City on Wednesday, given the polar difference in the teams' standings and team selection. Kompany will certainly aim to play expansive football against one of the best possession-based and goal-hungry teams. Nevertheless, Guardiola's men should have no problem breaking through the weak defence of the visitors, despite being without Holland. My prediction is a home victory with a handicap of -2.5.