Manchester City will be bidding to make it four consecutive Premier League wins on Wednesday evening when they welcome Burnley at the Etihad Stadium.
The Sky Blues recorded a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday night, but they have not been in league action since the 3-2 away success at Newcastle United on January 13. The recent fine form has lifted them to second in the Premier League table, five points behind league leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.
Pep Guardiola’s side are on an eight-game winning run across all formats and will be overwhelming favourites against Burnley on paper.
Manchester City Team News
Erling Haaland has been missing since the start of December with a “bone stress reaction” in his foot, but Pep Guardiola confirmed during his pre-match press conference that the Norway international could make his long-awaited return against Burnley this week.
Manchester City have recently welcomed back Kevin de Bruyne from a long injury layoff, while Ederson and John Stones may be available. Manuel Akanji, however, is a doubt due to a knee problem.
Predicted Manchester City lineup vs Burnley (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Stefan Ortega started in Man City’s 1-0 win over Spurs in the FA Cup fourth round, but he is likely to make way for first-choice goalkeeper Ederson in midweek. The Brazilian will be aiming to shut the shop as quickly as possible against Burnley.
Defence
Pep Guardiola is expected to stick to a 4-2-3-1 formation against the Clarets, with a back four of Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol remaining intact. Walker and Gvardiol should be the full-backs, providing width, composure and energy during build-up play. Meanwhile, Dias should line up alongside Ake in central defence once again.
EDERSON
WALKER- DIAS- AKE- GVARDIOL
RODRI- KOVACIC
FODEN- SILVA- DOKU
ALVAREZ
John Stones made a welcome return to the squad against Spurs and remained an unused substitute, so the Englishman could get some minutes in his tank in midweek.
Midfield
Man City’s midfield lynchpin, Rodri is a sure-shot starter against Vincent Kompany’s side. The Spaniard will be partnered by Mateo Kovacic in the centre of the park, with the duo hoping to take control of the game as quickly as possible and dictating terms. Bernardo Silva will act as the creative glue between midfield and attack, and his movement, dribbling ability and vision could cause lots of problems for the Burnley defence.
Kevin de Bruyne has made three substitute appearances since recovering from a long-term hamstring injury earlier this month, and he is set to start on the bench again.
Attack
Jeremy Doku could get the nod ahead of Jack Grealish to replace Oscar Bobb on the left flank, while in-form Phil Foden looks to produce another scintillating performance off the right.
Julian Alvarez will continue leading the Man City attack, having deputised extremely well in the injury absence of Erling Haaland. If deemed fit, Haaland could come off the bench for some minutes against Kompany’s team.