City hit the ground running in last week's restart. Can they maintain that stride in tonight's follow up against Burnley? We asked our City expert Simon Bajkowski for his insight.
Win, lose or draw?
Another win will be expected after a confident start against Arsenal. Which is why thepools.com go as skinny as 2/15 for the home win . There will be several changes to the team, and Burnley usually give City a tougher examination than most, but they find it tougher to do that away from Turf Moor and Guardiola's side have the quality to win by a couple of goals even if they are frustrated for chunks of the game. City with a -2 Goals Handicap is a much more appealing 10/11 .
Who’s a good bet for 1st scorer?
Raheem Sterling scored first against Arsenal and he could be another decent shout. His ability to ghost into free space appears undiminished by the suspension and he had a few opportunities to score before finally breaking his 2020 duck. With that out the way, more could follow. His odds are shorter as a result, but 16/5 first scorer is still tempting.
Who’s on pens?
Assume De Bruyne. Sergio Aguero may have something to say about that if he is on the pitch at the time, but De Bruyne has now stepped up twice this season and scored both times. Guardiola mentioned it in his post-match press conference so it has clearly registered. That makes odds of 13/2 first scorer and 7/4 anytime scorer the most appealing bets of the day.
Will City keep a clean sheet?
City are expecting a tougher test from Burnley's attack than Arsenal, and the likely rotation could make it harder, but I'd back City to keep a clean sheet on Monday after they did such a good job of snuffing out all danger from Arsenal. A tick in the Both Teams To Score 'No' box is a solid 4/7 .
Will the absence of fans help or hinder?
This will always be a hindrance. Players no longer get that lift when fans sense something either good or bad is about to happen, while there is also no crowd noise to influence the referee and dampen the cries of fouled players looking to overplay their injury.
