Manchester City will be bidding to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they travel to relegation-threatened Burnley on Saturday 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.
Match preview
© Reuters
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 (27).
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.
© Reuters
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.
- W
- W
- D
- L
- L
- L
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- D
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Burnley will be without the services of Nathan Collins due to his red card against Brentford, while Ben Mee is still injured, so Kevin Long is in line for his first Premier League appearance of the season at the back.
Matej Vydra could be involved, having returned to training following an elbow injury, but Erik Pieters (knee) and Johann Berg Gudmundsson (calf) remain unavailable for selection.
There are not expected to be any surprises in the home side's starting XI, with Dwight McNeil, Wout Weghorst and Maxwel Cornet all set to feature in attacking areas, while Aaron Lennon should also keep his spot in the side.
Man City will again be without the services of Ruben Dias and Cole Palmer through injury, while Benjamin Mendy remains suspended by the English champions.
Ederson (illness) is available despite being forced to withdraw from the Brazil squad, and England duo John Stones and Raheem Sterling have also recovered from the problems that they suffered on international duty.
Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Sterling could start as the front three against Burnley, with Jack Grealish potentially dropping down to the bench.
Nathan Ake will be on standby if Stones suffers a late setback after his minor issue, while Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne are set to feature as the midfield three at Turf Moor.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Pope; Roberts, Tarkowski, Long, Taylor; Lennon, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil; Weghorst, Cornet
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo; Sterling, Foden, Mahrez
We say: Burnley 0-2 Manchester City
Burnley will be competitive against Man City, but it is very difficult to imagine anything other than an away victory in this match. The Citizens know that they cannot afford to slip up due to the presence of Liverpool, and Guardiola's side should win this game relatively comfortably.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Manchester City win with a probability of 86.47%. A draw had a probability of 9.8% and a win for Burnley had a probability of 3.72%.
The most likely scoreline for a Manchester City win was 0-2 with a probability of 13.95%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-3 (13.73%) and 0-4 (10.13%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (4.63%), while for a Burnley win it was 1-0 (1.57%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 14% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted a 0-2 win for Manchester City in this match.
