Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for this
FA Cup showdown between
Manchester City and
Burnley at the Etihad Stadium!
Last night's all-Premier League clash between Liverpool and Everton provided plenty of drama, and hopefully we will see more of the same here as the division's dominant force takes on its surprise package in a meeting of arguably the two managers of the season so far.
We will take a closer look at both teams shortly, but first let's check out the team news...
MAN CITY STARTING XI: Bravo; Danilo, Stones, Otamendi, Zinchenko; Gundogan, Fernandinho, Silva; Sterling, Aguero, Sane
MAN CITY SUBS: Ederson, Walker, Mangala, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Toure, Diaz
BURNLEY STARTING XI: Pope; Lowton, Long, Mee, Taylor; Cork, Westwood, Gudmundsson, Hendrick, Barnes; Vokes
BURNLEY SUBS: Marney, Defour, Walters, Ulvestad, Wells, Lindegaard, Bardsley
What can we make of those two sides, then?
Well, we usually expect changes in the cup competitions and today is no different, although both teams have still managed to field a team which would look too out of place in a Premier League games. City in particular look strong today, making only four changes from the side which beat Watford on Tuesday.
Most notably, the front three of Sterling, Aguero and Sane all start once again despite the prospect of an EFL Cup semi-final looming in a few days' time, with the likes of
Bernardo Silva and Brahim Diaz left on the bench.
Gabriel Jesus remains sidelined after damaging his knee ligament injuries, of course, so Aguero is the standout choice to lead the line even in an FA Cup game like this, but it is a slight surprise that Guardiola hasn't taken the opportunity to rest Sterling and Sane.
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There is also another start for David Silva, who had been missing for personal reasons in recent weeks but flew back to England to play against Watford and is once again included this afternoon.
Fernandinho also retains his place in the midfield trio, with Kevin De Bruyne - himself a surprise starter in the Watford game after being stretchered off against Crystal Palace - dropping to the bench to make room for Ilkay Gundogan.
The bulk of the changes come in defence, though, and that starts in goal as Claudio Bravo comes into the starting XI in place of Ederson, as expected.
Elsewhere there are also starts for Danilo and Zinchenko on either side of the back four, although Kyle Walker does make the bench despite being seen limping at the end of the match with Watford. Stones and Otamendi retain their places at the heart of the defence with Kompany still out with a calf problem.
As for Burnley,
Sean Dyche is renowned for not making many changes to his team in the Premier League, but he confirmed in the build-up to this one that he would be looking to rotate today.
Even so, the relative lack of depth in his squad means that he is also only able to make four changes from the team which lost to Liverpool on New Year's Day.
Scott Arfield is an enforced absentee after picking up a hamstring strain against Liverpool, although that injury is understood to be minor and the midfielder should be ready to return to action once Premier League duties resume next weekend.
Arfield is replaced in the starting lineup by Vokes, who is expected to lead the line with Barnes reverting to a deeper and wider role according to the teamsheet released by the club. Barnes will no doubt look to get in support of Vokes, but he may spend most of his time defending this afternoon.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson has arguably been Burnley's best attacker so far this season, though, setting up plenty of goals for his teammates and helping himself to one against Liverpool last time out too.
He once again starts alongside Cork and Hendrick in the middle of the park this evening, with Westwood coming in for Defour the only personnel change made by Sean Dyche in that area of the field.
At the back there are two changes as Lowton returns on the right and Long fills in at centre-back again, with Bardsley dropping to the bench and Tarkowski given the day off completely.
Ben Mee and Charlie Taylor both retain their places in the back four, and behind them is Nick Pope, whose performances this season have been so good that Tom Heaton may face a battle on his hands to get back into the team once he returns from injury.
That defensive line for Burnley face a difficult task today against a Man City side who have been phenomenally good so far this season. Never before has the destination of the Premier League title looked so certain going into the FA Cup third round weekend, with
Pep Guardiola's side establishing themselves as by far and away the best team in England right now.
The stats are scarcely believable; 62 points from a possible 66, a 15-point lead over second place, the top scorers in the division with 64 and also the best defence with only 13 conceded. It truly has been a masterclass from City so far this term.
Pep Guardiola has repeatedly cooled talks of a potential quadruple, but for those outside the club it certainly looks like it could be on the cards.
There is, of course, a long way to go and one off day in one of these cup competitions could spoil the dream, but the Premier League title seems to be wrapped up, they have been drawn against Bristol City in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup and they remain among the favourites for the Champions League too.
It is shaping up to be an incredible campaign for Pep Guardiola's men.
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In the Premier League front there is a growing belief that City could go through the entire season unbeaten, matching Arsenal's achievement from 2003-04. There certainly seems to be an air of invincibility around them now, not least when Crystal Palace missed the chance to inflict a first domestic defeat on them this season when they spurned a late penalty.
City are now unbeaten in their last 34 matches on English soil - including 28 this season - stretching back to their semi-final defeat at the hands of Arsenal in this competition back in April.
City have lost once this term in the Champions League, but only after they had already qualified as Shakhtar Donetsk won in Ukraine exactly one month ago.
Guardiola's side have quickly picked up where they left off after that, though, winning seven and drawing one of their eight matches since. Indeed, throughout the entire season they have won a staggering 28 of their 31 outings across all competitions, drawing just two and losing that one.
The task of beating Man City anywhere is daunting enough then, but doing it here at the Etihad would be a huge achievement for Burnley.
City have won 14 matches in a row in front of their own fans, with Everton the only visiting team to avoid defeat at the hands of Guardiola's side here so far this season. City have scored 43 goals and conceded just eight during that 14-match streak too.
Their unbeaten record stretches back even further, though, with the Citizens going through all of 2017 without losing in front of their own fans, last doing so against Chelsea in December 2016, 31 matches ago.
City have, however, only won two of their last four home FA Cup ties, losing twice in that time as well.
Guardiola reached the semi-final of this competition last season, but their only home game along the way came against Huddersfield Town in a replay, which they won 5-1. City's run was eventually halted by Arsenal in the semi-finals, after extra time, but they thrashed West Ham 5-0 at this stage of the competition.
City have actually scored eight goals without reply in their last two third-round matches, and they have progressed into at least the fourth round in each of the past five seasons, so they very rarely fall at this stage.
Today's hosts have also won eight of their last 11 FA Cup games against Premier League opposition, although the most recent of those was, of course, the semi-final defeat to Arsenal in last season's semi-finals.
You have to go back to 2010-11 for the last time City lifted this trophy - their fifth taste of FA Cup glory - but that will seem like just yesterday for Burnley fans, the vast majority of whom will never have seen their side win the FA Cup.
Indeed, the only time Burnley have ever won this competition came way back in 1913-14, over a century ago, so there is a certain weight of history on their shoulders heading into this match.
In all of that time Burnley have rarely been in as good a position as they are now, though. The Clarets have been the surprise package of the Premier League this season, holding their own against the big boys for much of the campaign despite their hugely inferior budget.
Dyche's side have gone off the boil a little in recent weeks, but if you had offered their position to them at the start of this season, they would have snapped your hand off.
Indeed, some Burnley fans may have taken their current points tally with one or two games to spare, such has been their incredible season so far.
Many tipped the Clarets to once again be battling against relegation - and the team themselves will have been gearing up for it - but after only 22 games they are now only six points short of the magic 40-point mark and currently sit closer to second place than they do to the bottom three.
As I mentioned, though, Burnley's form has taken a bit of a deep in recent weeks and they come into this match without a win in their last five outings, picking up just three points from the 15 on offer in the Premier League over the festive period.
It is already their longest winless streak since April, when they had an eight-game wait for a win, and it follows a spell which saw them win six out of eight games, so it is quite an alarming dip in form.
Defeat today would mark back-to-back losses for the first time this season following their last-gasp defeat at the hands of Liverpool on New Year's Day, but the fact that they have made it to January without losing successive matches is something which should be applauded anyway.
Key to their success, as ever, has been their defensive organisation, with only the division's top three of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea having conceded fewer goals than Burnley this season.
Undoubtedly the biggest reason behind Burnley's lofty league position is their improved away form. Last season the Clarets won just one and lost 16 of their 21 away games across all competitions, whereas this season they have only lost two of 12 - one of which came here at the Etihad.
Burnley were well beaten on that occasion, but they have generally fared well away to the big boys this season, beating Chelsea and Everton, and picking up draws at Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United.
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Indeed, while they come into this match winless in their last four away games, only the league's top five teams have picked up more points on the road than Burnley this season, and the Clarets have picked up as many points on their travels as they have at Turf Moor - a huge improvement on last season.
However, they have only won one of their last nine FA Cup away games and this is the 12th time in the last 16 seasons that they have been drawn away in the third round, winning only three of those.
Dyche's side reached the fifth round last season before being knocked out on Lincoln's memorable run, and they needed a replay to get past Sunderland at this stage.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Etihad Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction!
FA Cup games are always more difficult to predict than normal matches, but Man City should still have enough to come through here. It is hard to back against Guardiola's side in any match at the moment, particularly at home, so we're going for a City win.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Man City 2-0 Burnley
These two sides have, of course, already met once this season, and that clash also came here at the Etihad Stadium as Man City ran out 3-0 winners in October, with Aguero, Otamendi and Sane - all of whom start again today - on the scoresheet.
Burnley have never won at this stadium, incidentally, and you have to go back to March 1963 for their last win away to Man City, losing nine and drawing six of their 15 visits since that 5-2 triumph 55 years ago.
Home or away, Burnley have lost their last three meetings against City and have only won one of their last 17 across all competitions, losing 11 of those in a run which stretches back to 1974.
There have been five draws in that time too, and you'd have to think that Sean Dyche would take another one of those today in order to earn a replay back at Turf Moor.
This will be the fourth meeting between these two in the FA Cup, with Man City unbeaten in the previous three, winning two and drawing one.
The most recent of those just so happened to come in the third round too, when Colin Hendry scored the only goal of the game for City in a 1-0 victory in 1991.
Right, the players are out and we're just about ready to go here. Before we get started, though, let's have a quick reminder of the team news...
MAN CITY STARTING XI: Bravo; Danilo, Stones, Otamendi, Zinchenko; Gundogan, Fernandinho, Silva; Sterling, Aguero, Sane
BURNLEY STARTING XI: Pope; Lowton, Long, Mee, Taylor; Cork, Westwood, Gudmundsson, Hendrick, Barnes; Vokes
KICKOFF: Here we go then! Man City get us underway at the Etihad Stadium!
City are immediately on the attack and already have Burnley pinned right back into their own area. Sane turns Lowton inside out on his way to the byline, but Burnley deal with the first wave of the danger. It won't be the last!
An early Man City corner comes to nothing, but Burnley quickly hit Man City on the break. They have men pouring forward, but an overhit pass from Barnes towards Gudmundsson slows it down and City get back to deal with it.
Better from Burnley now as they begin to enjoy some possession of their own. They may have been fearing a long afternoon when they were pinned so far back in the opening couple of minutes!
Burnley will want to get through this opening 20 minutes without any damage here. City have hit a lot of teams early this season - and late for that matter - so that 20-minute mark will be the visitors' first target to reach.
City win a free kick in a good crossing position which Silva drills in towards the near post low. Otamendi is interested in it, but Taylor does enough to smuggle it behind for a corner.
Silva drives forward down the middle himself here before letting fly from just outside the area, but Mee throws himself in the way of it.
Burnley are getting just enough bodies in the way to cope here. Aguero is the latest to break down the left channel and reach the byline, but his cross into the six-yard box is intercepted by Mee and then hacked away.
CHANCE! I struggle to believe this is a shot, because Sane is too good to get it this wrong. The German collects a crossfield pass on the left side of the area before lining up a half-volley, but he drags it horribly and it does out for a throw-in. He did have men in the middle to aim for, though, so maybe he was caught in two minds.
Big chance for City here as Aguero goes down under the challenge of Westwood right on the edge of the area. Free kick in a very dangerous position...
SHOT! Gundogan goes for goal, but the wall does its job. The ball rebounds out to Zinchenko who let's fly from even further out, but his effort is always rising and ends up a few yards over the crossbar.
CLOSE! Having been on the back foot for the vast majority of the match so far, Burnley are close to opening the scoring against the run of play here! Gumundsson's corner to the back post is headed back across goal by Mee, but Barnes completely misses from point-blank range and the ball runs through the safety. It is a golden opportunity!
In the blink of an eye City are up at the other end of the field, but the counter slows down and Sane eventually fires his effort well off target.
Man City have enjoyed 70% of the possession in this opening 20 minutes or so, but it is Burnley who have had the best chance so far. Sean Dyche will be pretty pleased with what he has seen from his side here.
Burnley make another really good break here and it ends with Lowton swinging a dangerous cross into the box, but Stones does just enough to flick it away from Barnes.
GOAL! Man City 0-1 Burnley (Ashley Barnes)
Now then! We have a cup tie on our hands! Burnley take a shock lead out of nothing, with Barnes capitalising on a terrible defensive error before applying an emphatic finish!
Pope hoofs the ball forward and Vokes flicks it on on the halfway line, but City look to have it under control as it arrives to Stones. However, the defender completely mis-kicks it and Barnes suddenly finds himself clean through on goal. He still has plenty to do, but he lashes a thunderous effort past Bravo at his near post!
This may be an all-Premier League tie between two of the top seven, but make no mistake this would be a big cup upset. City have been imperious at home and have named a strong starting XI, but they find themselves behind approaching the half-hour mark.
City almost respond immediately as Danilo feeds the ball into Gundogan, who turns well before going for goal. Lowton reads it, though, and makes an important block.
CHANCE! A chance arrives from the resulting corner as, after initially playing it short, Silva delivers the ball towards the back post. Otamendi is thwarted by Long, but the ball breaks to Fernandinho who lashes an effort narrowly over.
It's all part of the masterplan...
Another chance for Burnley to test Man City here as they continue to grow in confidence. Free kick in a dangerous crossing position...
...this time Gudmundsson's delivery is too close to Bravo, though, as the Man City keeper comes to claim it.
Less than 10 minutes remaining until half time now and Dyche will be desperate to reach the interval with this lead intact. Burnley have looked very solid so far today.
SHOT! Zinchenko tries his luck from range again here as Sterling tees him up 25 yards from goal, but his curling effort lands on the roof of the net and Pope looked to have it covered anyway.
For all of Man City's possession in this first half they are yet to test Nick Pope in the Burnley goal. The visitors have just got bodies in the way at every opportunity.
This is a second Man City shot which ends up going out for a throw! Silva tees up Danilo, but he never looks confident when approaching the ball and slices a terrible effort out to the touchline.
City do very nearly slice through the Burnley defence as Silva exchanges passes with Gundogan, but the return ball just forces Silva to stretch for it and that allows the defender to step in and make the tackle.
This has been a frustrating half for Man City, who have dominated possession and territory but have been prevented from making that final killer pass. Huge credit has to go to Burnley for that.
There will be a minimum of one minute added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Manchester City 0-1 Burnley
The first half comes to an end at the Etihad Stadium, and as things stand we're well on course for a cupset as Burnley lead Manchester City.
City have dominated possession as you would expect, but they have found clear chances very hard to come by. Burnley have defended really well, protecting Nick Pope, and they have also made the most of their chance when it came their way.
The goal arrived at after just 25 minutes when a long ball forward was flicked on by Vokes into the City half. Stones completely fluffed his lines with his clearance, slicing the ball horribly which sent Barnes clean through on goal.
The Burnley striker still had plenty to do, but he made no mistake with a ferocious strike past Bravo at the near post - almost Geoff Hurst-esque. Keepers should generally not be beaten at their near post, but it was the power in the strike which beat him.
Burnley have also had the best chance of the game aside from the goal too, with Barnes also involved on that occasion.
Gudmundsson's cross to the back post was nodded back across goal by Mee, with the ball flashing right across the six-yard box. Barnes was the closest to it, but he could not react in time to turn it home from close range.
Man City have seen plenty of the ball, and lots of it in good positions too, but they are yet to have a single shot on target in this match due largely to Burnley getting bodies in the way time after time.
The hosts' best openings have fallen to Sane, Zinchenko and Fernandinho, but none of them have been able to test Pope in the Burnley goal.
KICKOFF: Burnley get us back underway for the second half at the Etihad Stadium.
Most of Burnley's joy has come down the right flank so far this afternoon, with Gudmundsson getting the better of Zinchenko on more than one occasion. It must be an area of concern for City here.
YELLOW CARD! Danilo dives into a challenge right in front of Sean Dyche and picks up a yellow card for his troubles.
SHOT! Burnley again break out quickly with Vokes and Gudmundsson combining to find Barnes. The goalscorer is in a bit of space and doesn't have much in front of him so chooses to go for goal from range, but it flies high over the crossbar.
This second half has very much started in a similar vein to the first, with City dominating possession but struggling to find the way through. Burnley are doing an excellent job.
City do almost break in behind again here as Gundogan reaches the byline down the left channel, but his subsequent cross into the box is hacked away by Long. There have been a few of those instances today, but the cross always seems to find a Burnley shirt.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Burnley (Sergio Aguero)
Oh Burnley have defended so well throughout, but they fall asleep for one moment and are ruthlessly punished!
City win a free kick from deep and as Burnley are lining their defence up the hosts take it quickly. Gundogan's early ball is matched by the run of the sharp Aguero, who duly tucks it beyond Pope.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-1 Burnley (Sergio Aguero)
Incredible! No shots on target in the opening 54 minutes, and then two goals in the space of as many minutes!
The same two players are involved again and it is a lovely piece of football as Aguero feeds a pass into the feet of Gundogan before continuing his run into the box. Gundogan bides his time before back-heeling it into the path of Aguero, who keeps his composure to take the ball around Pope and slide it into the empty net.
That is how quickly Man City can hit you. Burnley had done brilliantly for the opening 55 minutes of this match, but some inspired creativity from the hosts have undone them here. Ruthless from City.
There is still half an hour remaining in this one and suddenly Man City look like they fancy their chances of getting more here. The floodgates may have opened.
CHANCE! Big chance for City to get their third as Danilo breaks in behind the defence down the right channel before drawing a save from Pope, who seemed to be taken a bit by surprise as he expected a cross. The rebound falls at the feet of Sane, but his lifts it over the crossbar of an empty net from close range with the outside of his left foot.
It has been a fairly good response from Burnley to that quickfire double. They have pressed high up the field all game - to good effect as well - and they are beginning to put City under a bit of pressure again now.
John Stones will have been the most relieved person in the stadium after Aguero's quick brace. His mistake looked like costing his side the chance of the quadruple until City burst into action.
YELLOW CARD! Cork picks up a yellow card for pulling back Silva.
BURNLEY SUB: ...and that proves to be Cork's last action as he is replaced by Nahki Wells.
GOAL! Manchester City 3-1 Burnley (Leroy Sane)
That could well be game over in this one! City again burst into life and punish Burnley with a third goal, with Sane getting his name on the scoresheet this time.
Sane gives the ball to Silva before continuing his run into the box, and the Spaniard of course produces a perfectly-weighted pass into the box. Sane takes it into his stride well, beating a last-ditch challenge from Mee before stroking his finish past Pope from a tight angle.
MAN CITY SUB: A change for City in the immediate aftermath of that goal as Kyle Walker replaces Zinchenko.
CHANCE! Another chance for City as Sterling gives the ball to Fernandinho, who dinks the return pass into the box. Both Aguero and Sterling are after the return, and if anything they get in each other's way and that allows Burnley to make the block.
BURNLEY SUB: Burnley make a change here as Gudmundsson is replaced by Jonathan Walters.
MAN CITY SUB: The hosts also make a change as Kevin De Bruyne comes on in place of Gundogan.
SHOT! Half a chance for Burnley to give themselves a lifeline here as Vokes climbs highest in the area, but his header is never troubling Bravo.
MAN CITY SUB: There will be no hat-trick for Aguero as he departs in City's third and final change, being replaced by Bernardo Silva.
GOAL! Manchester City 4-1 Burnley (Bernardo Silva)
Well, if it wasn't game over before then it certainly is now! De Bruyne slides a perfectly-weighted pass through for Sane to race on to, and Pope suddenly finds himself in no-man's land having come a long way off his line.
Sane dribbles past the goalkeeper on the left wing before cutting inside and unselfishly teeing up Bernardo Silva, who simply swept his finish into the empty net.
City break again here, but this time Sterling scuffs his finish and it is blocked. The hosts looked dangerous every time they come forward now.
It was a difficult and frustrating first half for City, but they have so many match-winners that their possession is bound to result in chances sooner rather than later. Not many teams score four times against Burnley.
There is a bit of concern over Otamendi here as he goes down under the challenge of Wells and his slow to get back to his feet, but he should be fine to continue.
There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.
FULL TIME: Manchester City 4-1 Burnley
It was all looking pretty good for Burnley at half time, but one half is not enough against this Man City side. They took the game away from the Clarets with two
Sergio Aguero goals in as many minutes, before Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva capped off the scoring in the final 20 minutes.
Ashley Barnes had earlier sent the Clarets into the break with the lead following a first half in which City failed to even have a shot on target, but they more than made up for lost time in the second half.
Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon!
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's FA Cup third round tie as Manchester City come from behind to progress at the expense of Burnley, helped on their way by a quickfire Aguero double. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
