City eyeing eight-game winning home run over newly-promoted Burnley.
Manchester City vs. Burnley kicks off at 15:00 [GMT+1] on Saturday, September 27, at the Etihad.
The Sky Blues swept Huddersfield aside in Wednesday’s EFL Cup third-round 2-0 win and now return to the Etihad Stadium as they look to bounce back to winning ways following last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal. On paper, this fixture has unsurprisingly been dominated by City in recent history. However, Pep Guardiola’s side enter this clash under pressure after an uncharacteristically sluggish Premier League start that leaves them in 9th place. Guardiola’s men have just seven points from their opening five league matches (W2 D1 L2), their lowest tally at this stage of a campaign since 2006-07. Meanwhile, the head-to-head record paints a fine picture for Pep’s side. City have won each of their last 13 meetings with the Clarets in all competitions, racking up an aggregate score of 46-2. In fact, only against West Brom (14), Bournemouth (15), Watford (16 ongoing), and Fulham (18 ongoing) have City ever enjoyed longer winning runs. Promoted teams rarely trouble City either. The Sky Blues have won 22 of their last 24 Premier League encounters with newly promoted clubs, with the only blemish a shock 2-1 defeat to Leeds United in April 2021. That track record will give Guardiola confidence, but his side will need to sharpen up in front of goal. City are averaging just 11 shots per game this term, their lowest figure on record since Opta began collecting data in 2000-01. Erling Haaland wasn't named in the midweek squad that faced Doncaster but is expected to return at the attacking end of City’s 4—1—4—1 formation.
The Clarets crashed out of the EFL Cup following a 2-1 loss to Cardiff City on Tuesday. Meanwhile, their last league victory away at Manchester City came in March 1963 with a 5-2 triumph—since then, they’ve gone 19 top-flight visits without a win (D6 L13), including seven straight defeats at the Etihad. In addition, they arrive in Manchester facing serious defensive concerns. The Clarets have conceded more shots (95), more shots on target (25), and a higher expected goals against (10.5) than any other team in the Premier League this season. Nevertheless, while they head to Manchester as underdogs, the 16th-placed side will be looking to end a three-game winless run [LWLLD] when they appear with the familiar 5—4—1 formation. Lyle Foster was at the attacking end of Burnley’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest last time out and is expected to keep his place.