Burnley v Manchester City: predictions, team news, & form guide
The Premier League fixtures have been released, and we’ll see Vincent Kompany’s newly promoted Burnley take on league champions Manchester City to kick off the campaign.
The fixture will see the former City captain return to his former club for the second time as the Clarets’ manager, offering what will likely be the club’s toughest test right off the bat.
To get you ready for the start of the new Premier League season, here is Football FanCast’s official preview for the game, answering several key questions below.
When is the match and is it on UK TV?
The match between the two sides will kick off the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, taking place on Friday, 11 August at 8pm BST.
The meeting will be televised in the UK, airing on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR, giving fans plenty of options to choose from.
Who is Burnley’s key player?
If Kompany’s side are to avoid relegation this season, it’s likely that Josh Brownhill plays a crucial role in the campaign.
In the middle of the park, the Englishman had an impressive season at Turf Moor as Burnley dominated the Championship last year, with his WhoScored rating of 7.27 outshining everyone else in the side.
Brownhill also managed 15 goal contributions from midfield and an average of 2.2 tackles a game in the league, so the 27-year-old demonstrated his ability to impact the game on both sides of the pitch.
Who is Manchester City’s key player?
While Erling Haaland’s ridiculous goal-scoring output is what makes the headlines, Kevin De Bruyne’s contributions all over the park make him the most integral member of Man City’s team.
With an average match rating of 7.58 on WhoScored, not only was the Belgian the highest-rated player at City, but he was also the highest-rated player in the entire Premier League as Pep Guardiola’s side completed a historic treble.
With 34 goal contributions in all competitions last season, the 31-year-old continues to be the best midfielder in the world and will be key to City’s success once again next season.
How will Burnley line up?
Having regularly lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, expect to see Burnley continue to deploy the tactic in the Premier League, with Kompany keen to keep hold of the club’s new, more progressive style of play.
With long-term servant Ashley Barnes departing the club in the summer, Burnley have a fairly sizeable hole to fill, with the striker featuring in 39 league games last season, and it’s being reported that the Lancashire side are interested in Metz striker Georges Mikautadze, so the side could lineup next season with the forward leading the lines.
With Michael Obafemi and Louis Beyer joining the club on permanent deals following successful loan spells in the Championship, Burnley have yet to sign anyone else, so as things stand the side’s starting lineup will look very similar to the one that gained promotion to the Premier League.
Predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Muric; Vitinho, Harwood-Bellis, Beyer, Maatsen; Cullen, Cork; Tella, Brownhill, Zaroury; Mikautadze
How will Man City line up?
Having won the treble last season, City have wasted no time exploring options to continue improving. Several key players are rumoured to be departing the Etihad, and with captain Ilkay Gundogan and defender Kyle Walker both linked with moves away, the club has several roles to fill.
Guardiola’s side regularly mixed things up tactically, but their most reliable formation was a 3-2-4-1, so expect them to return to that as they look to retain the Premier League for the fourth straight season. As reports suggest the club are preparing to make a move for Chelsea midfielder Matteo Kovacic, don’t be surprised if he lines up for City on the starting day.
Predicted lineup (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Dias, Ake, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Kovacic, Grealish; Haaland
What were the last five league meetings between the two teams?
Burnley haven’t fared too well against City recently, with the Citizens dominating the Lancashire side over the last five league meetings.
Kompany’s side will have their work cut out for them if they’re to get a decent result, with Burnley failing to score against City in any of their previous five league meetings. While Burnley are a completely different side to the one that last played in the Premier League, they still face an uphill battle if these past meetings are anything to go by.
- April 2022: Burnley 0-2 Man City
- October 2021: Man City 2-0 Burnley
- February 2021: Burnley 0-2 Man City
- November 2020: Man City 5-0 Burnley
- June 2020: Man City 5-0 Burnley
Who is going to win?
While Burnley looked fantastic in the Championship last season, facing City in their first game back in the Premier League will prove too tough a task for Kompany’s side.
The treble-winning City have looked unbeatable recently, and don’t expect that to change against the newly-promoted Burnley. Having had a year of English football already in the books, expect Haaland to once again be in scintillating form as he builds on what was an incredible debut season at the Etihad.
Having deployed a progressive, attractive style of football in the Championship last season, Kompany’s side will likely want to continue to play their brand of football, and it will play right into City’s advantage, with Burnley suffering a rude awakening as they return to England’s top flight.
FFC predicts: Manchester City win