Burnley vs Manchester City Preview

Premier League football returns this weekend with 2022/23 PL champions Manchester City facing 2022/23 Championship winners Burnley at Turf Moor Stadium on Friday.

After dropping to the Championship in the 2021/22 season, Burnley, ably led by Man City legend Vincent Kompany instantly returned to the higher echelons of English football by winning the Sky Bet Championship last season with an impressive 101 points.

However, they know they will face a different demon on their return to the Premier League, with the treble-winning City arguably the most challenging job in English football.

The Clarets found out how brutal it could be when facing City, with last season’s 6-0 loss at the Emirates still fresh in their memories. That game followed a much similar pattern for Burnley who have lost the last eleven H2Hs against City by a whopping aggregate score of 40-1.

But with Kompany’s side buoyed by a wealth of summer arrivals, they’ll hope a sold-out Turf Moor can steer them to upset the Champions on opening day, just as they did in 2017/18 when they beat then-title holders Chelsea 3-2 at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, City will travel to Turf Moor in a confident mood as they begin their quest to win a fourth Premier League crown.

No club has ever won four PL titles in a row, but Pep Guardiola’s side appears well-placed to change that. They will feel confident of winning here, given they’ve won on the opening day in eleven of the last 12 seasons (L1).

However, they come into this tie on the back of a disappointing defeat in the Community Shield against Arsenal at Wembley last weekend.

Guardiola is focused on seeing his side “play better” despite their treble win last term, and perhaps there’s room for improvement on the road as City ended last season’s PL campaign winless in two away from home (D1, L1), last enduring a longer such run in 2020.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

Premier League Table