Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been speaking lately as if he knows the chances of a Premier League title defense are slipping away. And that was even before the draw at Newcastle United on Saturday, which saw his side further behind runaway league leaders Liverpool in the standings.
Man City is running out of chances, and their mid-week fixture at Burnley FC is one where they just cannot drop points. The host Clarets could see Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Matej Vydra back in the lineup, but only if they pass late fitness before kickoff.
However, left back Charlie Taylor is likely unavailable for selection after having suffered a hamstring injury at the weekend.
For Manchester City, Sergio Aguero, who suffered a serious thigh problem against Chelsea, joins the group of long term injury absentees that includes Oleksandr Zinchenko, Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane. Zinchenko will probably not be back for this one, but his return isn’t too far off now either.
Laporte and Sane won’t be back in action until 2020. The absence of Aguero, the club’s all-time leading scorer, provides a golden opportunity for Gabriel Jesus.
Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo were all missing in action over the weekend at St. James’ Park, so they should be back in the swings of things in this one.
Manchester City at Burnley FC FYIs
Kickoff: Dec. 3, 8:15 pm Turf Moor
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Google result probability: 78% Manchester City win, 15% draw, 7% Burnley FC victory
Form Guide: Manchester City DWLWW Burnley FC LWWLL
Prediction: Manchester City 1, Burnley FC 0
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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