Manchester City will start their Premier League season on the road at Turf Moor as they face Burnley. The match is on Friday the 11th, 20:00 BST. Pep Guardiola will face off against one of his former players. Vincent Kompany will manage Burnley, and the former defender played 62 matches under Guardiola. City are coming off a defeat in the Community Shield against Arsenal, while Burnley is a newly promoted side.
When looking at a potential starting eleven, it is unlikely many changes will be made, but there will likely be a key one down the middle. Kevin De Bruyne, who went off injured in the Champions League final against Inter, made massive strides in recovery after not playing at all this pre-season. He came off the bench for Manchester City in the Community Shield, registering 27 minutes. The newly appointed captain, following the departure of Ilkay Gundogan, looks poised to return to the starting lineup against Burnley.
Stefan Ortega had the start for City against Arsenal, but he is not expected to start the opener for Pep Guardiola. It’s Ederson’s goal, and there isn’t really a reason to believe otherwise.
The defence may be a bit tricky to predict if Nathan Ake returns from his knock. He made the bench against Atletico Madrid after picking up an injury in the previous game but was not fit enough to be in the squad versus Arsenal. In what is a very flexible backline, the likely candidates to start in defence are Manuel Akanji, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker.
The midfield against Burnley, along with Kevin De Bruyne, will likely consist of Mateo Kovacic and Rodri. Kovacic can be seen as the replacement for Ilkay Gundogan in Pep Guardiola’s preferred midfield.
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The attack will, of course, feature Erling Haaland while it is likely Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva will both get the starts out wide again. After impressing in the Community Shield, Cole Palmer could be a dark horse candidate to start, but it is unlikely. Phil Foden also has to be considered too.
Manchester City Predicted Lineup vs Burnley:Â Ederson, Akanji, Stones, Dias, Walker, Rodri, Kovacic, De Bruyne, Grealish, Silva, Haaland
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