Manchester City v Burnley
15:00
Burnley’s Andre Gray recorded the Claret and Blues’ first ever Premier League hat-trick against Sunderland at home on New Year’s Eve, but they will be facing a task of an altogether different caliber when they travel to the Etihad to face Man City on Monday afternoon. City sit four points adrift of Liverpool after their narrow loss at Anfield on Saturday evening, so they will want to win in style against Burnley in order to keep pace with the title chasers and send a signal to their rivals.
Man City have every reason to be confident coming into this fixture, as their recent games against bottom-half teams have been very successful indeed. Their 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough was the first time in five attempts that they had failed to win at home against bottom-half opposition, and across their last 10 games against bottom-half teams at all venues their only loss was their shock 4-2 loss against Leicester at the King Power Stadium. By contrast, Burnley have lost four on the trot away, and their goal against Tottenham at White Hart Lane was the first time they’d scored on the road in five games. As such, they may struggle to penetrate City’s back line.
City should win this, but Burnley’s big win at the weekend should give them confidence. We back the visitors to cover a handicap of +3 – Man City haven’t won by more than two at home since late September.
