- Man City face Burnley on Wednesday night
- Victory could see them move top of Premier League
- Chris Sutton predicts significant victory
Manchester City are up against Burnley in their next Premier League outing and Chris Sutton has locked in his score prediction.
Last weekend has placed Manchester City in a very promising position. Defeat Burnley and Pep Guardiola’s team will go top of the league.
The Citizens will be mindful not to show complacency, but they have every right to feel confident after beating Arsenal for the second time in the space of a month.
Hours before City’s 2-1 victory, Burnley were beaten 4-1 by Nottingham Forest, so the chances of another triumph seem pretty high.
Chris Sutton backs Man City won win big against Burnley
According to Chris Sutton, Man City are going to be Burnley. Better still, it will be much more comfortable than the win on Sunday.
The BBC Sport pundit believes that City will significantly improve their goal difference, which is currently only one score worse than Arsenal’s tally.
“I completely understood City’s celebrations at full-time on Sunday,” Sutton said.
“Arsenal are their main rivals, there is a lot of needle between the two sides – like Erling Haaland and Gabriel for example – and they had just beaten them in a must-win game in the title race.
“Now Pep Guardiola’s side will be fully focused on getting the win they need here – and I don’t just think City will win at Burnley, I think they will win well.”
Addressing Burnley’s most recent defeat, he continued: “I know the Clarets went ahead against Nottingham Forest on Sunday but they ended up losing that one heavily.
“I can see a similar scoreline here. You just feel like City’s tails will be up – they have got some tough games ahead, but this should be comfortable for them.
“Burnley will battle and they will give it a go but with what is at stake for City, and the quality they have in the final third, I am thinking they can boost their goal difference as well as collecting the three points.”
Sutton’s prediction: Burnley 0-4 Manchester City
Pep Guardiola will select a strong team
During his pre-match press conference, Pep Guardiola confirmed that Rodri is injured and will not feature against Burnley.
However, there are no other fresh injuries in the squad, which means the manager should be able to field a strong team.
City face Southampton in the FA Cup on Saturday and this is the fixture where Guardiola is more likely to utlise the full depth of his squad.
Against Burnley, any change to the starting lineup is only likely to be minimal, with everyone aware of how important this match is for Man City.
Man City’s lead might not last long
While Man City are taking on the Saints at the weekend, Arsenal will be in action at the Emirates Stadium against Newcastle United.
Should the Gunners pick up any points from that game, City will move back to second no matter how big their win over Burnley might end up being.
On a more positive note, if Arsenal lose to Newcastle, it would give City the chance to gain a three-point lead at the top, should they win their game-in-hand.
