Burnley vs Manchester City prediction, odds, and betting tips
The 2023/24 Premier League season begins with the defending champions Manchester City taking on promoted Burnley.
Burnley vs Manchester City odds
Here are the latest match odds for Burnley vs Manchester City.
Best bookies to bet on Burnley vs Manchester City
Burnley vs Manchester City predictions
How on earth do Manchester City improve on last season?
Technically, it is possible. Pep Guardiola’s side may have won a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, but they fell short in the EFL Cup, suffering elimination at the unlikely hands of Nathan Jones’ Southampton.
They will also compete in the Club World Cup this season and are due to face Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup next week.
Realistically, though, the very best they can do is to match last term’s extraordinary achievement. And even that will be extremely difficult.
After their own-treble winning campaign in 1998/99, Manchester United fell short in the FA Cup and Champions League the following year.
They did win the Premier League title, though, and City are rightly the favourites to do so this time around.
Yet the holders could have a fight on their hands. Arsenal pushed them close last time out, finishing just five points adrift, and they have strengthened their squad over the summer.
Manchester United look ready to kick on under Erik ten Hag, Liverpool will surely improve on last year, and Mauricio Pochettino will make Chelsea competitive again.
Moreover, City have lost two influential players in Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez, and their squad is not as deep as it might be.
City remain the team to beat in the Premier League, but no club in the history of England’s top flightlz has won four titles on the bounce.
Can Guardiola’s team break new ground once again?
Burnley vs Manchester City betting tips
Manchester City can get the defense of their Premier League title off to a positive start by beating Burnley on Friday night.
Manchester City to win and both teams to score - 21/20 (bet365)
According to bet365, Burnley are only the joint-seventh favourites for relegation to the Championship.
Luton Town, Sheffield United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Everton are all considered likelier bottom-three finishers than Vincent Kompany’s side.
That is in part due to Burnley’s substantial Premier League experience in recent years. After all, this is a club that survived for several seasons under Sean Dyche.
But the main reason why they are fancied to avoid the drop is the way they dominated the Championship last term.
Burnley accumulated 101 points to finish 10 clear of second-placed Sheffield United. They scored a league-high 87 goals and conceded a league-low 35.
The Clarets were by far and away the best team in the division, but the Premier League is a huge step up.
They will take heart from Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, the three promoted clubs who all survived last season.
But a home game against Manchester City is a baptism of fire. In front of a raucous home crowd Burnley may well be able to find the back of the net.
But avoiding defeat will surely be beyond them. City will be determined to lay down a marker in the opening game of the season and they should prove too strong for Kompany and co.
Manchester City to score in both halves - Evens (bet365)
To the surprise of no one, Manchester City were the top scorers in the Premier League last time out.
A return of 94 goals meant they averaged close to 2.5 per game, a phenomenal rate at any level - never mind in the most competitive division in Europe.
City may have lost Mahrez and Gundogan, players who contributed 13 Premier League goals between them in 2022/23.
But with Erling Haaland leading the line, and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and Julian Alvarez as support options, City will not struggle to put the ball in the back of the net.
Indeed, they will almost certainly score more goals than any other team even if they do not finish top.
Burnley were defensively sound last season. They dominated the majority of the matches they played and, in some ways, were the Manchester City of the Championship.
But the Clarets will have less of the ball this term and it will be interesting to see how they adapt.
Burnley lost 6-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup earlier this year. A repeat of that scoreline is unlikely, but the visitors to Turf Moor should have little trouble making the net bulge.
Kevin De Bruyne to score any time - 13/5 (bet365)
Haaland is the obvious choice in the goalscorer markets. He hit a record-breaking 36 goals in his debut campaign in England and few would bet against him doing even better this season.
But the bookies quickly caught up to Haaland’s deadliness in and around the penalty area, and the odds on him to score in this match are not particularly appealing.
Consider, instead, the brilliant De Bruyne. He was fit enough to appear in the Community Shield last weekend, albeit as a second-half substitute.
The Belgium international should get the nod from the start in this one, as City seek to make a statement of intent in the curtain-raiser.
De Bruyne got into double figures last term and he will fancy his chances of doing so again in 2023/24.
How to watch Burnley vs Manchester City
- Location: Turf Moor, Burnley, England.
- Date and time: Friday 11 August 2023, 8pm.
- How to watch: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
