With a trip to the Camp Nou looming large, Manchester City will have to first deal with a tricky game at the Turf Moor as the second from bottom entertains the second from top. It is a must win match for both teams with only 10 games left to play, though the two sides harbour completely different ambitions.
City is five points behind league leaders Chelsea, who have a game in hand as well, and for Manuel Pellegrini’s men to stand any chance of reclaiming their title, they can’t afford to drop even a single point till the end of the season.
Burnley on the other hand need to find a win from somewhere having won just twice since December. They have won just once at home in their last six games in all competitions, and despite playing well often, Sean Dyche’s men don’t have the points to show.
They came away from the Etihad with a famous point in the reverse fixture having trailed by two goals and can take inspiration from that gutsy display when the Champions are in town on Saturday.
Team News
Burnley
Kevin Long, Matthew Taylor and Dean Marney remain sidelined through injury while Danny Ings is a slight doubt having picked up a knock at Anfield.
Manchester City
City have a full squad to choose from and with a 10 day gap since their win over Leicester, a fresh one too.
Last Five Meetings
28 Dec 2014  Manchester City   2 – 2  Burnley                   Premier League
03 Apr 2010  Burnley           1 – 6   Manchester City           Premier League
07 Nov 2009 Manchester City  3 – 3   Burnley                   Premier League
29 Dec 2001  Manchester City  5 – 1   Burnley                   League Division One
27 Aug 2000 Burnley          2 – 4   Manchester City           League Division One
Interesting Stats
- Burnley have the fewest wins of any team in the Premier League.
- Man City have lost just twice in their last 19 Premier League matches.
- There have been 41Â goals scored in the last 8Â meetings between Man City and Burnley,
- The last time Burnley defeated Manchester City was in October 1974.
- Burnley have conceded the second highest goals in the Premier League with 47, only behind QPR’s 49.
- Burnley have failed to win their last 7 matches in the Premier League, losing 5 of those.
- David Silva has scored four goals in his last six league appearances.
Key Men
Burnley – Danny Ings
Having netted 21 goals in 40 appearances that made him the Championship Player of the Year last season, Ings has been Burnley’s best player this season with 9 goals so far and his exploits represent their best hopes of survival in the Premier League. With a summer move on a free transfer to a bigger club on the cards, he would do anything in his powers to ensure that the Clarets stay in the division.
The 22-year-old is a hard worker who never stops running, something that has ignited the interest of Manchester United along with Liverpool and City who will all be vying to sign the English striker come summer.
Manchester City – Sergio Aguero
The Argentine hitman can overtake Diego Costa in the race for the Golden Boot at Turf Moor, albeit for 24 hours, as the duo lead the pack with 17 goals apiece. Burnley’s defence is the second worst in the league and the last thing Sean Dyche’s men would have wanted to face after recent troubles was an in-form Aguero who has scored four goals in his last five starts along with a couple of assists.
4.2 shots per game along with 2.7 dribbles make him City’s most threatening player though he will no doubt benefit from the creativity of the star players behind them. Aguero though creates a lot of goals from nothing, picking up the ball from outside the area and slaloming his way through entire defences. Also, he has an incredible pass accuracy of 85% and has created 22 chances for his teammates, grabbing 6 assists.
Prediction
Due to a much needed rest, a fresh City are favourites to win the match and a 2-0 win can be obtained at the odds of 7/1 on William Hill.
