Manchester City’s schedule offers no respite as they are back in Premier League action on Saturday against Burnley, with just a two day rest following their third-round Carabao Cup victory over League One side Huddersfield Town on Wednesday night. With a midweek Champions League trip to Monaco up next, Pep Guardiola is expected to rotate his side a fair bit against Burnley.
Former England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey’s two sons, Reigan and Jaden, both made their debut for City against Huddersfield, with six players from the academy making the starting XI. City’s squad were left on their last legs in the intense 1-1 draw away to Arsenal last weekend, with Erling Haaland a casualty. A back issue saw the Norwegian striker miss the trip to Huddersfield and he remains a doubt for this game.
Phil Foden and Savinho were on the scoresheet for City in midweek, with the former expected to feature again as Guardiola remains short on options. As many as seven City players could miss the game against Burnley, which could see the likes of Divine Mukasa earn some Premier League minutes.
Burnley, meanwhile, were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League One side Cardiff, with Scott Parker’s heavily-rotated side losing 1-2 at home. Burnley have lost four of seven games this season in all competitions, although they were unfortunate to concede injury-time penalties in losses to Manchester United and Liverpool.
A trip to the Etihad isn’t ideal as Parker hopes to end a run of four games without a win in all competitions, especially since City have not dropped points at home against Burnley in the last ten games between the pair. Even a goal is a tall ask, as Burnley have scored only once in their last nine trips to the Etihad, while conceding 31 goals.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s match.
How to watch:
The match will not be telecast in the UK, and will be on NBC/Peacock in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates.
Key Details:
Date: Saturday, September 27 at 3 p.m. BST (10 a.m. ET; 7.30 p.m. IST, Monday and 12 a.m. AEST, Sunday)
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Referee: Rob Jones
VAR: Paul Howard
Team News:
Manchester City
Mateo Kovacic, M: achilles tendon, OUT, est. return early Nov
Omar Marmoush, F: knee, OUT, est. return early Oct
Rayan Cherki, M: thigh, OUT, est. return late Oct
Rayan Ait-Nouri, D: ankle, OUT, est. return mid-Oct
Abdukodir Khusanov, D: knock, OUT
Nico O’Reilly, D: knock, DOUBT
Erling Haaland, F: back, DOUBT
Burnley
Jacob Bruun Larsen, F: knock, DOUBT
Connor Roberts, D: knee, OUT, est.return early Oct
Jordan Beyer, D: knee, OUT, est. return mid Oct
Zeki Amdouni, F: ACL, OUT, est. return Jan 2026
Expected Lineups:
Manchester City (4-3-3)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma
RB: Rico Lewis | CB: Rúben Dias | CB: Josko Gvardiol | LB: Nathan Aké
CM: Tijjani Reijnders | CDM: Rodri | CM: Bernardo Silva
RW: Phil Foden | CF: Erling Haaland | LW: Jérémy Doku
Burnley (4-3-3)
GK: Martin Dúbravka
RB: Kyle Walker | CB: Hjalmar Ekdal | CB: Maxime Estève | LB: Quilindschy Hartman
CM: Josh Cullen | CDM: Josh Laurent | CM: Lesley Ugochukwu
RW: Loum Tchaouna | CF: Lyle Foster | LW: Jaidon Anthony
Stats:
- Manchester City have never lost to Burnley at the Etihad Stadium, with their most recent home loss coming in the FA Charity Shield at Maine Road in 1973. City’s last league loss at home to Burnley came in 1963.
- Burnley’s last win over Man City was in the 2014-15 season, a 1-0 win at Turf Moor.
- City have won their last 13 games against Burnley in all competitions, with a goal difference of +44.
- City’s tally of seven points from five games is their lowest in the Premier League since the 2006-07 season.
- Burnley have conceded the most xG (10.5) of any team in the league.
Latest news and analysis:
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Pep Guardiola said Phil Foden is happiest when playing as a number 10 after another standout display in his side’s 2-0 Carabao Cup win at Huddersfield.
Guardiola hopeful Haaland fit for Burnley tie
Pep Guardiola is hopeful Erling Haaland will be able to recover quickly from the back injury which forced him off during the 1-1 draw with Arsenal.
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