The new Premier League season kicks off at Turf Moor on Friday night when the champions of the top two divisions from last term collide when Burnley take on Manchester City to open up another anticipated campaign of top flight football.
Manchester City begin the defence of their title in this match while Burnley start out on their quest to remain in the division after promotion from the Championship. With the Vincent Kompany connection between these sides this one is set up nicely.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Premier League and Sky Showcase channels with the build-up to the new season beginning at 6.30pm ahead of the 8pm kick off.
Burnley
After teetering with relegation from the Premier League before finally enduring it two seasons ago, Burnley begin life back in the big time on Friday night with a brand new style compared to their last stay at this level and probably heightened expectations from those times as well. Vincent Kompany led them to what was a cruise to the Championship title last term and many will feel he has the side to not just survive this season but potentially emulate what Fulham achieved last year.
The interesting thing with regards to Burnley this season is how they will go from dominating the ball to having less of it and how they will cope without some players who were key to their success last term such as Nathan Tella and Ashley Barnes. Burnley have spent accordingly for their return to the Premier League but drew the short straw in the opening week of the season. You could argue they have nothing to lose here but winners don’t see things like that.
Manchester City
Five of the last six Premier League titles have been won by Manchester City and the champions begin their quest for another crown at Turf Moor on Friday night. They are always the standard setters and head into any season as the one to beat. That is no different this time around and it will be interesting to see what sort of marker they lay down ahead of what might prove to be the most competitive campaign in a while.
City have lost a couple of big players in Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan, one they seemed happy to lose and the other which might not have been part of the plan. As is often the case with Guardiola, he has tweaked his squad in terms of new signings rather than gone on an overhaul so you would imagine familiarity will serve the champions well. They might also be well served by playing a more competitive than usual Community Shield last week.
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Team News
Summer signings such as Dara O’Shea, James Trafford, Zeki Amdouni and Sander Berge could all make their Burnley debuts in this match, although with the late arrival of the latter he might have to do with a spot on the bench. Michael Obafemi is ruled out with injury.
Nathan Ake missed the Community Shield last week but he is expected to be fit for this game while Pep Guardiola could give Premier League debuts to summer additions Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic.
Betting
Burnley play a similar game to Manchester City and while that might serve them well against some teams this season, it is hard to see them beating the champions at their own game and I think the new boys will struggle here. Burnley are used to seeing a lot of the football but they aren’t going to see as much of it here and we will get an early indication to just how strong their defence is because it is sure to be severely tested.
Manchester City have a couple of advantages in this match. The first is that they play an opponent who mirror their style which is probably exactly what they want and the other is that the Community Shield last week turned into a real competitive contest to get rid of the rust that might have formed within them. I always think champion sides want to put markers down and with Burnley being a good match up for City I expect the visitors to win and be so dominant that they do so without conceding.
Tips
Back Manchester City to win to nil for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with Bet365
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