After Arsenal already picked up a victory, Manchester City will need to keep pace in chasing first place Liverpool in the title race but there will be quite the boost to Pep Guardiola’s side in the return of Erdling Halland. The Norwegian has been unavailable since Dec. 6 due to a fracture in his foot but that hasn’t slowed City down as they’ve picked up 13 of 15 available points while he’s been sidelined. It’s unknown if he’ll feature against Burnley from the start but just making the squad at this stage will be big for a City side that has already gotten Kevin De Bruyne back in rotation.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 31 | Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Etihad Stadium — Manchester, England
- TV: None | Live stream: Peacock
- Odds: Manchester City -1200; Draw +900; Burnley +2500
Storylines
Manchester City: Running through every team in their path, it’s hard to see Burnley slowing Manchester City down but when the last team to take points off of City was Crystal Palace, anything could happen. Former City captain Vincent Kompany will make his return to the Etihad but even knowledge of Guardiola’s setup won’t be enough to emerge with a victory.
Burnley: Given how important goal difference could be in the relegation race, it will be important for James Trafford and the defense to limit Manchester City’s joy in the match. It will still require some attacking where help may come from David Dataro Fofana, who could make his Burnley debut during the match after joining on loan from Chelsea.
Prediction
Burnley won’t be able to slow the City machine down as Trafford will have to pick the ball out of his net more than he’ll be able to make saves in the match. Pick: Manchester City 4, Burnley 0
