EPL Match Preview: Manchester City vs Burnley – xG, positional attacks, predicted XIs and more | OneFootball

Manchester City host Burnley on Saturday afternoon at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League as club football returns.

We look at some stats to predict the match.

Man City have got 14 points from seven matches and a recent draw against Liverpool has seen them go down to third position in the league. Pep Guardiola’s side have looked like a team who have come to retain their title this campaign and would certainly hope to get three points against Burnley. They have won three of their last five matches and such performances definitely shower them with confidence.

The Cityzens have scored 14 goals so far from an xG of 13.81, the third-highest in the league and have been at par with their metric. They have been really clinical going forward scoring goals in almost every match while boasting the best defence in the league. A well-drilled, robust City defence had only conceded one goal in the league until they conceded twice against Liverpool and for the first time since opening weekend.

The men from Burnley have a start to the season far from what they had expected. With just three points from seven matches, Sean Dyche’s men are in 18th place in the league. The Clarets are yet to register their first win of the season. A positive result against City is a must if they look to turn things around on its head and get out of the relegation zone.

Burnley have an xG of 9.35 which is near the league average but have failed to score goals, heavily underperforming their stat with only five goals scored. Their struggle upfront has been a huge concern which has not been complemented by their defence as well conceding 11 goals so far.

With 76 shots from positional attacks, the most in the league, Man City have been really comfortable in possession, easily passing the ball around and creating chances. Their whole gameplay depends on build-up and City have done that exquisitely well yet again. It will be a huge task for Burnley’ defence to mark the rotating attacking players in Man City’s team on the pitch.

Burnley also have 55 shots from positional attacks, higher than the league average, but they have failed to make the most out of it scoring just five goals. Against the strongest defence in the division, Burnley need to showcase a lot more composure than they have before.

City have easily penetrated through most of the defences they have faced, having 247 touches in the opposition penalty area, the highest in the league. They will look to do the same against a vulnerable Burnley defence once again.

With just 116 touches in the opposition box, Burnley need to do a lot of improvement upfront when they face a solid City defence.

Manchester City need not make any changes to their playing style and with the home support it makes it much easier for the Cityzens. The Clarets, however, need to make certain adjustments within the team otherwise the survival battle might really prove tougher than they feel.

Ederson and Gabriel Jesus will both miss the clash due to quarantine issues while Ferran Torres is sidelined due to a broken foot for the hosts.

Ben Mee will not travel after contracting coronavirus while Dale Stephens also misses out for the visitors. Charlie Taylor remains a little doubtful.

We predict a 3-0 victory for Manchester City.

Predicted Lineups

Manchester City (4-3-3) : Steffen, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodri, Silva, de Bruyne, Grealish, Foden, Mahrez.

Burnley(4-4-2) : Pope, Lowton, Collins, Tarkowski, Taylor, Cornet, Brownhill, Westwood, McNeil, Wood, Vydra.