Burnley V Manchester City Betting: Saturday, 3rd April (ESPN)

Burnley V Manchester City

Saturday, 3^rd April – 17:30GMT

TV Coverage: ESPN

Burnley

League Position: 19th

Recent Form: LDLLL

Pundits around the country are already predicting a Burnley demise, and well, we wouldn’t disagree with those sentiments. In fact, we think Burnley’s relegation from the Premiership in just their first season in the top flight now looks inevitable after the club suffered its seventh defeat in eight games last Saturday, only this time they not only lost a fixture against a local rival in Blackburn Rovers but a game which was there to be had on paper. That’s one fabulous opportunity to register three points down the drain and you’re now left scratching your head as to where Burnley’s next win will come from. 

We’ve seen Burnley’s remaining six games and they’re tough. So much so that we’re willing to stick our necks on the line and say Burnley won’t win another Premiership game this season. Their only glimmer of hope of attaining one final win could rest at The KC Stadium when they visit fellow relegation stricken Hull City. However, Burnley could be out of the running by the time they even take to the field against Hull as defeat to Man City on Saturday could see Brian Law’s men lose yet more ground on safe ground, and should others around them win at the weekend, Burnley could find themselves six points adrift and shipwrecked.

We don’t think it’s to bold a statement to say that this game with Man City is a must win encounter for The Clarets. With their following fixtures extremely difficult ones on appear, and with the gap between them and safety possibly growing over the course of the weekend, the players would quickly become disheartened with another loss. That does, though, look the only viable outcome in a fixture where their opponents are far superior in just about every apartment. However, there is one small glimmer of hope for Burnley fans and that’s home advantage. Turf Moor was a fortress early on in the season while all six of their league wins have come at home this season. They’ve suffered three defeats from their last four league games at Turf Moor but simply have to convert home into the fortress of old if they are to stand any chance of avoiding what looks a certain demise from the Premiership.

Can Burnley pull something special out of the bag on Saturday? Some of their earlier evidence would suggest perhaps so but their recent displays and result would indicate they don’t have a chance in hell. Not only have they lost three of their last four at home, and not managed a victory since the beginning of February, but they’ve lost to some pretty average teams at Turf Moor of late. It’s an ugly list in fact: Wolves, Portsmouth and more recently Blackburn have beaten Burnley at home within a months period. Quite how they will reverse that dire form by beating Champions League chasing Man City is beyond me and impossible if you ask most punters in your local bookie.

Manchester City

League Position: 5th

Recent Form: WDWLW

As this race for fourth spot intensifies, City know full well that a fixture like this just has to be converted into three points. However, embarrassing as it is, Manchester City remains the only team that haven’t beaten Burnley in a home fixture this season as Burnley have lost all but one of their sixteen away fixtures. That’s gotta hurt if you’re one of the City players that took to the field that day in what was a thrilling 3-3 draw in Manchester. However, that could be the catalyst the City players need heading down to Turd Moor, in case the lure of Champions League football wasn’t enough.

Roberto Mancini’s charges took a while to get going at The City of Manchester stadium on Monday night in a game with Wigan Athletic. It was a fixture City were expected to win and win well. They did come the end but it was alarming to see City struggle for attacking impotence for large parts of the first 60 minutes, while they needed their opponents to be reduced to ten men before really going at their Northern opponents. However, at the business end of the season, winning results really do matter and it was a vital set of three points which kept City firmly in the hunt, one of the frontrunners in fact, for that elusive and attractive fourth place finish.

Mancici will also have been pleased with Carlos Tevez’s performance on the night. To be fair, the second half belonged to Tevez as his 13 minute hat-trick saved Mancini and Man City’s bacon as before that Wigan had a number of chances to go in front. Now that was a huge concern that Wigan could carve City open so easily on the break and against a Burnley side which can be lively when they counter, City may come unstuck when committing too many men forward to attack. Mancini is in a scary position though as he knows full well that City simply cannot afford to drop any more points, especially in fixtures such as this. He will want his big forward stars, the likes of Carlos Tevez, Adebayor and Craig Bellamy to really put Burnley to the sword and avoid any squeaky bum moments like that in the reverse meeting.

City could find themselves back in fourth with a win, although they would need Tottenham to slip up elsewhere. Even so, that should be an ample carrot for the players as I’m sure Champions League football would lead to a big end of season bonus. However, it has been City’s lacklustre away form that has let them down considerably this season, much like many seasons gone before, and it could prove to be their downfall come the end of May. While they have enjoyed two winning outings in their last three away adventures in the league, four of their five league defeats have come away from home and they did lose to Hull City just over a month ago, so City are from from full proof here, although they really should dispatch Burnley with consummate ease if truth be told.

Match Verdict: Draw – 3.75 SkyBet

I really do think this weekend could throw up a few surprises and there might be none bigger than Burnley holding City once again to a draw. The Clarets know they have to get something out of this game, preferably all three points but even a point would keep them within distance. The same can also be said for City but they’re prone to not winning their easy fixtures and have rarely done successive league wins this season. Should City surpass our expectations and win at Turf Moor then it will have been their first back-t-back league wins since December. They should win, but quite whether they’re any value at those odds is open to debate. A Burnley draw for us just to make matters interesting at both ends of the table.

We also think they’ll will be goals for both sides. Burnley’s defence has looked non-existent recently while Wigan could have had a few on Monday night. The pair know they must get something from this game and won’t leave any prisoners as they seek out some possible match winning goals. We’re expecting a lively and entertaining affair down at Turf Moor.

Match Odds:

Burnley – 5.50 SkyBet

Draw – 3.75 VCbet

Manchester City – 1.75 Expekt

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Over 3.5 Goals – 3.20 bWin