Manchester City will aim to begin a good run of results to put in a concerted challenge in the title race as they host Burnley at the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola surprised many of his and Manchester City fans with how he approached the game at Arsenal. The Catalan boss set up with the intent of defending the ball rather than his usual philosophy of attacking, which seemed to work for large parts until it didn’t.

Manchester City took an early lead on the counter at the Emirates through the formidable Erling Haaland, and until late in the game, they managed to put in a defensive shift. To provide some more context, Guardiola finished the game with seven defenders on the pitch, two defensive midfielders and Savinho. Yet, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli combined well, which saw the latter score a terrific equaliser to steal a point in the end.

The stop-start nature of Manchester City’s campaign so far has cast doubts over their ability to mount a concerted challenge for the title. Hence, starting with Burnley, Guardiola has a few games deemed favourable for the club to begin a run of wins, with Brentford, Everton, Aston Villa and Bournemouth the five games before they host leaders Liverpool.

As for Burnley, Scott Parker will be happy with his team’s performances so far in this campaign, although there have been a few disappointments in some of the games. The obvious one is the late drama at Turf Moor against Liverpool in conceding that unfortunate penalty, but the Clarets have since responded with a draw against Nottingham Forest.

Burnley are only a point out of the relegation zone, and to mount a considerable challenge to stay well clear, Scott Parker will want some performances in the bag. While there are arguments that the Clarets have slightly surpassed expectations in terms of where they are, Parker’s men still need a run of results to avoid getting dragged into a rigorous relegation battle.

Team News & Tactics

Manchester City

The win over Huddersfield Town did not bring about fresh problems in the team, but the game at Arsenal did see the likes of Erling Haaland and Abdukodir Khusanov pick up issues. The latter has an ankle problem that could keep him out for the time being, and the defender is set to miss the Burnley game.

Haaland also picked up an unspecified problem, which saw him miss the Huddersfield Town clash in midweek, but Guardiola will be hopeful to have his talismanic striker back for Burnley. At the time of writing, the Norwegian is widely expected to lead the line, unless Guardiola states otherwise as we near the game day.

Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Mateo Kovacic and Kalvin Phillips are set to remain sidelined for unspecified periods. As for Khusanov’s spot, Guardiola could opt to bring Matheus Nunes there, although Rico Lewis is also an option that he might not prefer at the moment.

Beyond that, the manager is likely to recall most of the nine players that he changed for the midweek cup clash, with the likes of Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders and Bernardo Silva all set to return to the starting lineup.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3) – Donnarumma; Nunes, Stones, Dias, O’Reilly; Silva, Rodri, Reijnders; Foden, Haaland, Doku

Burnley

Parker will be without Jordan Beyer, Connor Roberts and Zeki Amdouni for this clash, while Jacob Bruun Larsen is a considerable doubt with a knock, but there will be an assessment before kickoff to determine his status.

Lesley Ugochukwu is back in contention for Burnley after serving a one-game suspension for his two bookable offences against Liverpool. He will be the favourite to come back into the side alongside Josh Cullen, but summer arrival Florentino Luis is also a strong contender for a place in the central areas.

Kyle Walker’s return to the Etihad will be one of the big stories on Saturday, as the right-back will hope to perform at his best against his former side. Jaidon Anthony and Lyle Foster will lead the line for the Clarets, with the hope of getting a result against a strong-looking Manchester City defence.

Probable Lineup (5-4-1) – Dubravka; Walker, Laurent, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman; Tchaouna, Cullen, Ugochukwu, Anthony; Foster

Key Stats

• Manchester City have won their last 13 matches against Burnley in all competitions.
• Manchester City have scored at least 2 goals in their last 13 home matches against Burnley in all competitions.
• Burnley are just a point outside of the relegation zone.
• Burnley have conceded 5 goals or more in 5 of their last 7 trips to the Etihad.

Player to Watch

Erling Haaland

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Haaland has scored 67% of Manchester City’s goals in the Premier League so far, which indicates their reliance on the striker. He has been instrumental this season, but Guardiola must find another goalscoring source to further his team.

However, Haaland was a doubt for the Burnley clash, but now he is widely expected to start on Saturday. He will once again be relied upon to get the goals on this side, missing other goal scorers like Marmoush. Hence, the Norwegian will be the main man for Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola aiming to start a strong run of wins.

Prediction

Manchester City 3-0 Burnley

Burnley are expected to sit behind and try to lock Manchester City in a low block, in a similar way to the Liverpool performance recently. However, the only difference here is that this game is played at the Etihad, which may be a source of pressure.

While Burnley will hope to get at least a point, Manchester City are likely to get a comfortable win, with the likes of Haaland likely to prove too difficult for the Clarets’ defence. Guardiola’s side have also shown a renewed defensive resilience, which could see them keep a clean sheet on Saturday.