Citizens seeking 10th straight win over Clarets

2021/22 English Premier League

Matchday 31

Burnley v Manchester City

Turf Moor

Burnley, England

Saturday, 2 April 2022

Kick-off is at 16h00 CAT

Manchester City will continue their quest to retain the Premier League crown when they face relegation-threatened Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, April 2.

The Citizens have seen their lead at the top of the table cut to just one point after a couple of shaky performances recently.

Pep Guardiola’s side looked odds-on favourites to win a fourth title in five years after embarking on a stunning 12-match winning streak a few months back. But a goalless draw at Crystal Palace last time out was the third time in seven games that they had dropped points, which allowed Liverpool to close right up behind them.

Guardiola is relishing the final two months of the season which sees City chasing the treble, a feat that has only been achieved once in English football – by neighbours Manchester United in 1999.

“We have the quarter-final of the Champions League, we have the Premier League, we have semi-finals of the FA Cup. The nice thing for the team is that fact,” the Spaniard was quoted as saying on the club’s official website.

“Arriving in the last weeks of the season we are there fighting for the titles. This is so nice. I would have smiled at the beginning of the season to be in front of you at this stage and to be in this position.

“How many times has it [the treble] happened in this country? Once. It is not easy,” he added. “It [the treble] is far, far away. It’s better to think about Burnley first.”

The 19th-placed Clarets are in danger of losing their top-flight status after winning just two of their last 10 games.

A 2-0 loss at Brentford before the international break extended their winless run to four outings, including three straight defeats which has left them four points adrift of safety.

However, Sean Dyche believes there is enough experience and nous within his squad to deal with the pressure and escape the drop in the end.

“We’ve done a lot of work on ourselves to get back into it where we feel we should have been, so we’re back in the contest,” Dyche said after the clash in west London.

“I think our knowhow and our experience, and we’re not going far away of what we are doing, it’s just adding to it because a lot of our performances over the last 10 games, we’ve done well, and we’ve had a tough run of three and that can happen in the Premier League.

“They (the players) understand what they have to do, there’s a lot of experience in the group, they understand it, it’s just about delivering it. We’re never far away and it’s making it happen and it’s making the difference.”

Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)

Matches – 5

Burnley – 0

Man City – 5 Draws – 0