Premier League leaders Manchester City face a tricky FA Cup fixture as they take on surprise package Burnley at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The Citizens defeated the Clarets 3-0 in the Premier League in October, with goals from Sergio Aguero, Nicolas Otamendi and Leroy Sane. That was the third consecutive win for Manchester City over Burnley, but the Clarets did get a 1-0 victory over their illustrious opponents in 2015. Overall, Manchester City have won four of the last seven direct meetings.
Manchester City have survived the busy festive period and maintained their unbeaten record in the Premier League, even though they were disappointed by the goalless draw at Crystal Palace on New Year's Eve. Manager Pep Guardiola has voiced his concerns regarding the packed schedule and insisted that the players' health is put at risk. However, the Spaniard has a vast squad at his disposal and he will surely rotate again for Saturday's match. Vincent Kompany, Benjamin Mendy and Gabriel Jesus are all injured while David Silva will most likely sit this one out in order to visit his family in Spain.
Burnley's great form was seriously tested during the festive period and the test was mostly failed by Sean Dyche's men: no victories in the last five matches. However, Burnely lost just two of those five matches, against Tottenham and Liverpool, and held Manchester United to a draw. Tom Heaton and Robbie Brady are still injured and will definitely miss Saturday's match, while Scott Arfield, Chris Wood and Stephen Ward are recovering and might at least get a place on the bench.
Probable line-ups:
Man City: Bravo - Danilo, Adarabioyo, Mangala, Zinchenko - Toure - B. Silva, Gundogan, Diaz, Sane - Aguero
Burnley: Pope - Lowton, Tarkowski, Long, Taylor - Gudmundsson, Cork, Westwood, Wells - Walters, Vokes
My prediction: Man City to win 2-1.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Man City win - 1.18
Draw - 8.50
Burnley win - 17.00
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