Following a five-game winless streak without scoring a goal at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Man City managed to finally end their hoodoo on the white side of North London courtesy of a slender 1-0 victory over Ange Postecoglou’s side in the FA Cup fourth round last Friday.
Despite their dominance in possession, it looked as if the Citizens would endure another goalless trip to Spurs after squandering a succession of chances, but Nathan Ake’s 88th-minute strike – City’s first-ever goal with their 102nd shot at the venue – was enough to send the FA Cup holders through to the fifth round, where they will face Luton Town away from home at the end of February.
Pep Guardiola’s men have certainty found their groove in trademark fashion heading into the second half of the season, as they have won nine and drawn one of their last 10 matches across all competitions, scoring 28 goals in the process, since losing 1-0 at Aston Villa on December 6.
However, as they were last season, Man City are playing catch-up in the Premier League as they currently sit second in the table, level on points with third-placed Arsenal and fourth-placed Aston Villa, while Liverpool – who face Chelsea and the Gunners in their next two games – boast a five-point lead at the summit.
The Citizens have a game in hand on their title rivals, though, and Guardiola’s side will be confident of success on Wednesday as they have won 16 of their last 17 meetings with Burnley, including their last 12 in a row by a remarkable aggregate score of 43-1.
Burnley will have had 19 days to rest and prepare for Wednesday’s trip to Man City, with their last outing ending in disappointing fashion as they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to fellow relegation-threatened side Luton Town on January 12.
The Clarets were on course to claim three crucial points courtesy of a first-half goal from Zeki Amdouni, but Carlton Morris’s controversial headed equaliser in the 92nd-minute was allowed to stand following a lengthy VAR review, despite an apparent block from Elijah Adebayo on goalkeeper James Trafford in the build-up.
links >> Stream 1 HD Stream 2 HD Stream 3 HD Stream 4 HD
An enraged Kompany labelled VAR’s decision to award Luton’s leveller as a “joke” after the match, and his Burnley side remain 19th in the Premier League table, five points adrift of safety with daunting encounters against Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal on the horizon.
Since securing a 5-2 victory at Man City back in March 1963, Burnley have failed to win any of their last 16 top-flight away games against the Citizens, who themselves enter Wednesday’s contest having won 15 of their last 16 Premier League matches against newly-promoted teams.
However, Burnley have fared better on the road so far this season having accumulated twice as many points away from home (eight) than at Turf Moor (four), while no other Premier League team has won more away games against the reigning champions over the last seven seasons than the Clarets (two), who beat Chelsea (August 2017) and Liverpool (January 2021) during this period, providing a glimmer of optimism ahead of Wednesday’s clash
