Burnley vs Manchester City prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-08-10 19:00.
The fixture gremlins couldn’t possibly have served up a more difficult game for Burnley on their Premier League (PL) return, with treble winning Manchester City first up for the Clarets. This game has an added edge with Burnley led by City legend Vincent Kompany, but as the Belgian boss found out in last season’s 6-0 FA Cup drubbing, he shouldn’t expect any favours from his former employers.
That game followed a much similar pattern for Burnley, who have lost the last 11 H2Hs against City by a whopping aggregate score of 40-1! Hope always springs eternal on opening day though, and with Burnley buoyed by a wealth of summer arrivals, they’ll hope a sold-out Turf Moor can steer them to upset the Champions on opening day, just as they did in 2017/18 when they beat then-title holders Chelsea 3-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking of Chelsea, it’s them who have won the PL title in each of Burnley’s last three PL seasons to immediately follow promotion, but City will likely have something to say about that as they chase an unprecedented fourth-successive PL crown. No club has ever won four PL titles in a row, but City appear well placed to change that, and will feel confident of making a solid start in doing so given they’ve won on opening day in 11 of the last 12 seasons (L1).
They’ll make the short journey to East Lancashire on a bit of a downer though after defeat in the Community Shield against Arsenal at Wembley last weekend. Keen to swiftly bounce back, Pep Guardiola is focused on seeing his side “play better” in spite of their treble win last term, and perhaps there’s room for improvement on the road as City ended last season’s PL campaign winless in two away from home (D1, L1), last enduring a longer such run way back in 2020.
Players to watch: No Burnley player has scored a goal against City since Robbie Brady in December 2019. Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson netted the equaliser in a H2H back in 2017/18, but his last four Burnley goal scoring appearances saw him open the scoring. It would probably be easier to name City players who haven’t scored in H2Hs down the years, but Erling Haaland isn’t one of those, netting a hat-trick inside an hour in last season’s FA Cup meeting.
Hot stat: All three of City’s away league games against newly-promoted opposition last season saw both sides score.