Manchester City FC vs Burnley FC, Premier League 2020-2021, Today Match Prediction

Manchester City FC vs Burnley FC Match Prediction & Analysis

Although this has been a strange season so far, with many surprising results, it is still a shock to see Manchester City sitting in 13th position after their first eight matches.

Only three wins from those fixtures mean that this is one of the worst starts in their recent history, as well as the poorest start to a season across Pep Guardiola’s entire managerial career.

Their two defeats are only bettered by the top three sides, however it is their inability to turn draws into victories that has left many scratching their heads wondering what is going on with the club.

In Burnley, City face a side which recorded their first win of the season last weekend, against a below par Crystal Palace side. We saw more of that famous Burnley grit which makes them hard to play against, especially at home.

City have had their injury problems, but with some of those easing recently, they will be expected to improve their performances and results, starting this weekend.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Manchester City FC Preview

Form Guide (all comps): WWDLW

Reasons to be cheerful:

     Players like Aguero returning from injury are a boost

     European form is keeping confidence high

Reasons to be fearful:

     Without a league win in two matches

     Are clearly below their best at creating goalscoring chances

Manchester City’s league and Champions League form has been a huge contrast for them so far this season. 

Although they have won fewer than half of their league matches, four wins from four in Europe has sent them through to the knockout round with two games to spare, showing that confidence is still high at the club.

Injuries have not helped, and now that Sergio Aguero is back they will hope to create more in front of goal, though whether the Argentine will come straight back into the team instead of Jesus is yet to be seen.

Despite their mixed league form, they still have players who have performed well. Kevin De Bruyne remains one of the top stars in the league and the likes of Raheem Sterling are showing strong form.

They now just need to recover that spark which they have played with over the past few years under Guardiola, whose new contract ties him to the club for another two seasons.

Star Man – Kevin De Bruyne

In a season where City are struggling for creativity, De Bruyne is their one shining star in midfield.

Burnley FC Preview

Form Guide (all comps): DLLDW

Reasons to be cheerful

     Win last weekend will massively boost confidence

     Only conceded in two of last five matches

Reasons to be fearful 

     Manchester City will expect a response after defeat

     Lost 11 of last 15 matches against City

Burnley proved last weekend that they are somewhere near their old selves by putting in a typically gritty performance in their win over Crystal Palace.

Those three points elevated them out of the bottom three, though they must continue to pick up points with more regularity to feel comfortable about life in the Premier League.

Their defence has looked more like the Burnley of old lately. They’ve only conceded in two of the previous five matches, and those two were against Tottenham and Chelsea, two of the best teams in the league currently.

The partnership of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski in central defence has certainly helped this, both being ever-present recently following injury problems. 

Burnley must hope that this can continue against Manchester City this weekend.

Star Man – Chris Wood

Scored only his 2nd goal of the season last weekend, but looks like Burnley’s best route to goal currently.