Paul Merson has shared his prediction for Manchester City’s opening Premier League match against Burnley.
Following on from their Community Shield defeat against Arsenal last weekend, the treble winners travel to Turf Moor to take on Vincent Kompany’s side this evening.
Looking ahead to tonight’s match, one well-known pundit has shared his thoughts on how this match could go for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Merson backs City to have tough challenge against Burnley
In a recent column for Sportskeeda previewing the first round of Premier League fixtures of the new campaign, Merson had this to say about City’s clash at Turf Moor.
He said: “Manchester City didn’t create loads of chances in their Community Shield match. Arsenal defended very well, and I expect Burnley to put up an admirable defence as well.
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“This match is going to be tough for Manchester City, but they should be able to defeat Burnley this weekend.”
Last season saw the Manchester club win 28 of their 38 league games, drawing five and losing five along the way.
They also managed to score more goals (94) than any other side in the division and end the campaign with the joint-best defensive record with 33 goals conceded.
Burnley also had a successful season as they made their way out of the Championship and back to the Premier League by winning 29 of their 46 league outings, drawing 14 and losing just three.
Similarly to City, the Clarets also ended their previous campaign with more goals scored (87) and fewer conceded (35) than any other side in the division.
With the Manchester club only having two big chances during the Community Shield match against Arsenal, this backs up what Merson said in his column and why he thinks a newly promoted Burnley playing in front of their home fans could prove to be a difficult opponent for City.
