Manchester City vs Burnley prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2024-01-30 19:30.
[p]Fresh off the back of another successful step on the road in defending one of their three crowns from last season with a 1-0 FA Cup win at Spurs on Friday, Manchester City must quickly refocus their efforts to the Premier League as they bid for an unprecedented fourth successive league title. Relegation battling Burnley are the visitors, a side manager Pep Guardiola has never lost a managerial H2H against (W16, D1).[/p]
[p]Only against Arsenal has the decorated boss won more managerial games, and given the last eight clashes have all ended in City wins ‘to nil’, the history books suggest this game only ends one way. And as if the Cityzens needed any more inspiration, they’re unbeaten in their last 29 Wednesday-held Premier League home games, winning the last 18 in a row![/p]
[p]Burnley have had almost three weeks to stew on their last game, in which they controversially surrendered a 1-0 lead against relegation rivals Luton in stoppage time (D 1-1). Boss Vincent Kompany is now left with the tricky task of preparing his side for what is arguably the sternest test in world football, something he failed to do to great effect last season as the Clarets lost 6-0 here in the FA Cup quarter-final. [/p]
[p]Avoiding defeat by such a humiliating scoreline perhaps looks to be the best avenue Burnley have of leaving the Etihad Stadium with a grain of pride, not least because they haven’t won a top-flight away H2H since March 1963 (D5, L11 since)! Although their chances of overturning their massive outsider odds seem remote, no side has won more Premier League away games against reigning Champions since the start of the 2017/18 season than Burnley (two), giving the travelling faithful something to cling onto at least.[/p]
[p]Key battle: City’s talisman Erling Haaland is in line to make his long-awaited return from injury here against a side he has scored five goals against in the last two meetings. He’ll be trying to beat Manchester City academy graduate James Trafford here, a man who averages over four saves per Premier League game this season.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Manchester City have led at half-time in all nine of their Premier League home games this season.[/p]