Manchester City vs Burnley betting preview: odds and predictions
ONCE again, Manchester City head into late March still in with a shout of winning the fabled Treble. Championship Burnley look unlikely to stop the juggernaut on Saturday night.
Manchester City vs Burnley odds
Here are the latest match odds for Manchester City vs Burnley.
Manchester City vs Burnley betting preview
Vincent Kompany’s return to the Etihad Stadium as manager of Burnley has been making plenty of headlines but there will be little room for sentiment once this FA Cup quarter-final gets underway.
What there may be room for is team rotation – despite a semi-final trip to Wembley being up for grabs, this competition remains the lowest priority of both managers at this point of the campaign.
City are again chasing the Treble and Tuesday’s 7-0 demolition of Leipzig suggests they could go close.
While Arsenal are the obvious stumbling block in the Premier League, perhaps the key will actually be how Guardiola rests his players with two games most weeks between now and the end of the season the reality if they want to win all three trophies.
While the depth of his squad means strong XIs regularly appear in the domestic cups, Guardiola looks sure to make several changes to the side which waltzed to victory the other night. That’s rarely good news for punters – at least those placing their bets prior to the team news.
That could also be the case for Kompany, whose Burnley side are chasing an immediate return to the Premier League.
Nineteen points clear of third place with just nine games to go, they are closing in on that aim and so arguably can afford to put out their strongest team here.
That said, Kompany made numerous changes for the last round which brought a narrow 1-0 win over Fleetwood.
The Clarets have already beaten one Premier League side during the current run (Bournemouth) although perhaps of more relevance is the fact they lost 2-0 at Manchester United in the EFL Cup.
Expect City to win but it may not be as easy as they are accustomed to.
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Manchester City vs Burnley key stats
- Four of Burnley’s last five trips to the Etihad have resulted in a 5-0 defeat.
- Man City have won nine of their last 10 games against Burnley without conceding a goal.
- Burnley’s last victory over Man City came in October 1974.
- Five of the last seven ‘lower-league’ sides Man City have faced have managed to score.
- If they want to win the Treble, Man City will need to play 19 more games between now and June 10.
Manchester City vs Burnley best bets
No bookings
For a big price on this game, no cards may well be worth a go.
No team in the Premier League has collected fewer cards than City and while Burnley’s figures aren’t that good, they are still well in the top half when it comes to fair play in the Championship.
Domestic cup games are well known for producing fewer cards, on average, than their league counterparts and that’s reflected in John Brooks’ figures.
One of the stricter PL officials this season, he’s shown under 2.5 cards in five of his last FA Cup ties. Include the EFL Cup and it’s 13 of his last 20.
Under 2.5 here is a solid-looking option at evens but the 10/1 about Brooks keeping his cards in his pockets, as he’s done in two of those 20 ties, looks to have some potential.
Phil Foden to score at any time
Foden’s two goals against Bristol City in the last round extended his impressive record in the FA Cup against lower-league opponents.
He’s now scored in six of his nine starts in the competition against EFL teams.
Having only been on the bench against Leipzig in the week, he can be expected to return to the starting XI here and will pose a strong threat to Burnley’s defence.
Without truly sparkling this season (and often being left out for Jack Grealish), Foden has quietly racked up 13 goals and can add another in this one.
Manchester City to win and both teams to score
Whatever side they put out, City should have too much quality, even for a side dominating the Championship this season.
But whether they manage to keep them out is open to question.
The City ‘win to nil’ bet did land against Bristol City in the last round but look longer term and it’s a bet which has often let its backers down when the English champions have faced teams from the lower echelons.
In fact, five of their last seven games against EFL teams have seen City win while conceding and that looks a decent way of getting a fair price about the hot favourites here.
How to watch Manchester City vs Burnley
- Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England.
- Time: Saturday, March 18, 17:45 GMT.
- Where to watch: BBC One.
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