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It’s back. The excitement. The drama. The passion. And on top of all that, Friday marks the return of our Premier League Cheat Sheet. What a week eh?
Pep Guardiola’s squad showcased unparalleled dominance last season, securing the title and even adding the FA Cup to their collection, triumphing over Manchester United. Their crowning achievement came in the form of a victory against Inter Milan in the climactic clash of the Champions League Final, marking Pep’s men finally hitting their goal (and Grealish going on a two-week bender).
The Premier League trophy has found its home at Manchester City on five occasions within the last six years, a remarkable feat that undoubtedly fuels Guardiola’s pursuit of victory season after season.
Their upcoming challenge is a match against Burnley, a team guided by none other than the ex-Man City legend, Vincent Kompany, who led them to a league triumph in the previous campaign.
City secured notable additions to their roster this Summer, including the £77.6 million acquisition of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig and Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic for £30 million. Nevertheless, the departure of Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona might wield a considerable influence on the team dynamics.
Meanwhile, Burnley remained highly active in the transfer market, orchestrating the arrival of nine players during the summer window. Among the pivotal signings, James Trafford, the star of England’s U21 Euro-winning team, joined the ranks in a £19 million deal from City. Additionally, the £17 million capture of Swiss striker Zeki Amdouni from Basel bolsters Burnley’s offensive prowess.
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Burnley stats: More corners at the Moor?
Burnley were a force to be reckoned with in the Championship, finishing the league on 101 points; 10 points clear of Sheffield United in second place. Across their campaign, they both scored the most and conceded the least goals.
In our stats breakdown, we have found that last season Burnley averaged 5.83 corners per game, conceding 3.87. When looking specifically at the stats whilst they were playing at Turf Moor, their average corners for, rise considerably to an impressive 7.24. With added attacking threat, this number could rise further.
However, City are a whole new challenge for Burnley, as is the high-calibre Premier League. On average, teams playing against City last season averaged only 2.55 corners per game. City also like to control the games they play, seeing over 64% possession across their games last season.
That being said, we still fancy Burnley to win some corners Friday night. They are 2/5 to have over three or more corners, and a tempting 11/10 to have four or more so are a great value to add to a bet builder.
Man City Stats: What’s the time? It’s six past Burnley
Where to begin? Not only did City have the top goalscorer, Haaland, and the player with the most assists, KDB, but they also boasted the most goals and passes last Premier League season. On top of this, Pep’s men won the Treble – only the second Premier League team to do this since the 1960s.
With high goals, lots of matches won, and a large amount of possession, City’s team shooting stats were remarkable last season. They took 600 shots, averaging 5.39 per game – and converting 2.47 of these shots to goals each game.
Naturally, the main talisman was Erling Haaland, who saw an average of 1.72 SOT. During March these two teams faced off in the FA Cup, City were triumphant and put six past Burnley – with the Norwegian goal machine securing a hattrick in the process.
We can expect to see Pep’s side dominate again on Friday night, with Haaland continuing his hot streak against Burnley. He is priced at 8/13 to open the season with a goal, and 6/5 to have a shot on target in each half of the match.
Burnley v Manchester City Cheat Sheet
For those of you who may not be acquainted with the Cheat Sheet, this is for you. It’s exactly what it sounds like – a comprehensive collection of stats at your fingertips, covering everything from player fouls to team corners. All the statistics you could possibly desire are neatly organised within this Cheat Sheet. This article will delve into select elements from the Cheat Sheet and conduct an exploration of the standout stats in anticipation of the upcoming Premier League opening match.
🎯 Burnley Offensive Stats: Anass Zaroury could cause problems for Ederson
For those of you who are not familiar with Burnley’s starting eleven, let me introduce you to Anass Zaroury. The Moroccan international is likely to start on the left wing against City and loves to have some pops at goal. Zaroury averaged 2.03 shots last season, hitting the target 0.65 times a game.
Zaroury was also able to pick up a total of 12 goal involvements in the Championship, including an absolute belter against Sunderland:
Kompany has put a lot of faith into the youth at Burnley, and we expect Zaroury to have a decent debut season in the Premier League. He sits at 1.53 to have two shots and looks like amazing value to score at 4/1.
🎯 Man City Offensive Stats: Thanks for that Phil
Although Mahrez and Gundogan have both left the Etihad, punters may feel some sense of relief as they no longer have to involve themselves in a weekly game of Pep Roulette. Foden appears to be a nailed-on starter ahead of Friday, despite being benched for the Community Shield match against Arsenal.
Foden averaged 1.07 SOT last season, securing 11 goals and six assists across his Premier League campaign. This all came from only 22 starts. The Gascoigne want-to-be is the youngest player to reach 50 goals under Pep, surpassing Messi.
Foden has bags of talent, and this Tweet does a good job of summing up his ability:
We would not be surprised to see his name on the score sheet this Friday.
🛑 Burnley Defensive Stats: Grealish will cause problems for Burnley’s right side
Grealish causes lots of problems for defenders, utilising his speed and skill to tie defenders up in knots. He averaged 3.42 fouls won in the Premier League last season and has a career average even higher at 3.62. Last season he won more fouls than Wilfred Zaha – making him the most fouled Premier League player per game.
Koleosho joins Burnley from Spanish team Espanyol, and he is predicted to start on Burnley’s left-hand side. The 18-year-old is not shy of a challenge, committing 1.56 fouls each game in his career thus far. Further, Josh Brownhill is supposed to start Friday’s game as a defensive midfielder. He will share the duties of defending against Grealish when he cuts inside, and he averages 1.64 fouls committed per game.
🛑 Man City Defensive Stats: Grealish is likely to get involved on the other end too
Grealish gets stuck in on the other end of fouling too, committing the fourth most of any City player at 1.18 per game. He is also set to face the right side of Burnley, made of Connor Roberts and new signing Luca Koleosho.
Roberts averaged the highest fouls drawn amongst Burnley’s starting eleven per game at 1.25 in the Championship. Across all competitions in the 2022/23 season, Koleosho drew over 0.5 fouls per game. We expect this number to rise, particularly if he becomes a regular starter for Burnley, as he is a winger offering large amounts of pace, and can easily be brought down on the break.
Grealish is 1/3 to commit one foul and 6/4 for two fouls. Both are extremely viable options to consider for a bet builder.
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