Manchester City continue to make headlines ahead of their clash against Burnley, with fresh comments from Pep Guardiola and new transfer developments emerging.
Here are the top stories about the Sky Blues from the day so far:
Pep Guardiola backs Manchester City squad in face of celebrations
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Burnley, Guardiola said his players should ‘celebrate however they want’.
The Catalan coach told BBC Match of the Day that the importance of the game meant such an emotional reaction was natural, and not something to criticise.
Guardiola said: “People can say whatever, stupid things. We know the value of the opponent, we know if we don’t win, we are bye-bye! If we win, we are still there. How can we not celebrate?”
“As much as you respect the opponent, fans of the opponent, celebrate whatever you want. I have to wait until the end of the season to celebrate? Come on!”
“Every single game, go to our fans and enjoy. What sense? You have to celebrate just once if you win, and if you don’t, you have to cry all the time? Come on.”
Eduardo Conceicao might slip out of Man City’s hands
According to reports, Conceicao’s preferred destination is the Camp Nou, making Barcelona firm favourites to sign the young attacker.
He is yet to make a senior appearance for Palmeiras, but his performances for the under-20s side have impressed enough to make him one of the most sought-after young players on the planet.
Conceicao has been compared to fellow Palmeiras academy graduates Endrick and Estevao, both of whom have gone on to become elite stars.
Barcelona’s history of developing the best young talents in the world will no doubt help their case, but City are not out of the running just yet.
Pep Guardiola hopes for Vincent Kompany to take charge at Etihad
Belgian legend Kompany has earned plenty of plaudits for his impressive managerial record, including from Pep Guardiola.
The Catalan boss praised his former captain for the work he’s done in a short time in Germany, and tipped him to one day return to Manchester as City manager.
Guardiola told Hayters TV: “He’s so young, still just one or two years in Munich, so still [he] will be there.
“But sooner or later, I have the feeling, just in case he decides in a certain moment to come back to England, I’m pretty sure Manchester will be in his heart and mind, and hopefully the path will cross at a certain point in his life.”
Brighton enter race to sign James Trafford
Plenty of clubs have shown an interest in signing Trafford. Last summer, Newcastle attempted to sign him before he rejoined City, and remain big admirers.
Meanwhile, Tottenham and Aston Villa have also been linked, but Florian Plettenberg has now reported that Brighton have entered the race.
The Seagulls see Trafford as a replacement for Bart Verbruggen, with the Dutchman expected to leave this summer.
Scott Parker isn’t confident ahead of City clash
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s clash, Parker admitted that Burnley’s relegation has been coming for some time, regardless of how they fare against City.
He told Sky Sports: “The outcome of tomorrow night and the situation of what it can be is one that the players have probably been facing in terms of that, having an understanding of where we are and searching for something here.
“So yeah, I don’t think that’s a big player in terms of us. That’s been a challenge for us over the last few months, to be quite honest with you, because we’ve not managed to pick up results.
“That burden has obviously been on our shoulders for some time now. Of course, the reality may be that for tomorrow night.”
However, despite the probable outcome, Parker said he relished the challenge of facing the Carabao Cup winners.
He added: “We’re going up against the elite of the elite. From a coach to individual players, that’s a challenge there that we should be relishing really in a one-off game of 90 minutes,
“It’s one that we should be relishing as individuals to go up against the best in the world and see if we can lay a mark on them.”
Chris Sutton has expectations of the Citizens
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.”
