While Manchester City’s 4-1 rout against Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final was a reminder of their lethal attacking abilities, the Sky Blues will be looking to right their wrongs in the Premier League this weekend.
Succumbing to a frustrating 0-0 draw in their previous top-flight encounter against Crystal Palace, Pep Guardiola’s side sit just one point above Liverpool at the top of the league table.
As a result, there is certainly plenty at stake when the Premier League champions lock horns with Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon.
Sitting 19th in the Premier League table, Sean Dyche’s men face the ultimate litmus test against one of, if not the best side in Europe.
With three defeats and eight goals conceded in their last three league games, their current form fails to inspire any confidence about a potential upset on Saturday afternoon.
As both sides are set to go head-to-head with club football making a welcome return, here are the most intriguing statistics to keep an eye out for.
Burnley
- Nick Pope has the worst pass success rate out of any player in the Premier League so far this season (44.1%).
- James Tarkowski has made more blocks than any other Premier League player so far this season (47).
- Ben Mee ranks in the top 2% of centre-halves in the top-five European leagues for aerial duel success rate per 90 minutes over the last 365 days (4.48).
- Burnley have made the second-most clearances off the line out of any side in the English top-flight so far this term (6).
- Sean Dyche’s side have have made the third-most high claims out of any Premier League team so far this season (35).
Manchester City
- Manchester City have hit the woodwork the highest number of times out of any team in the Premier League so far (19).
- Aymeric Laporte has the best pass success rate out of any player in the Premier League so far this season (95.4%).
- Joao Cancelo has completed the most final third passes per 90 minutes so far in the Premier League this campaign (25.9).
- John Stones has won 40 out of his 46 aerial duels in the Premier League so far this season out of any player who has contested more than 25 in the division (87% success rate).
- Manchester City have averaged the highest possession rate per 90 minutes in the English top-flight so far this term (68.2%).
- Bernardo Silva is only behind Declan Rice in terms of carrying the ball the most distance in the league so far this season (8,565 yards).
Previous Meetings
- Manchester City and Burnley have faced each other 108 times in total - with the former winning 53, the latter winning 25 and 30 games ending in draws.
- Pep Guardiola has a 100% win record against Sean Dyche’s men since becoming Manchester City boss in the summer of 2016.
- Manchester City won 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium in their last meeting between these two sides.
Potential Landmarks
- Aymeric Laporte is one game away from making his 100th Premier League appearance as a Manchester City player.
- Kevin De Bruyne is one game away from making his 200th Premier League appearance as a Manchester City player.
- A win against Burnley could take Aymeric Laporte to 82 victories - the most number of victories out of any player that has played a century of games in the Premier League.
- Ilkay Gundogan is one goal away from surpassing Shaun Wright-Phillips’ goal record for Manchester City in all competitions (46).
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