Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Burnley and Manchester City at Turf Moor. The Citizens have equalled the best-ever start of any side to an English top flight campaign, winning 22 and losing just one of their 25 matches to date, and can move a whopping 18 points clear of closest challengers Manchester United with another victory here today.

City have also defeated today's opponents twice already this campaign, coming out on top in the reverse league fixture and also emerging triumphant in last month's FA Cup third-round encounter. They are the strong favourites to make it a hat-trick of victories over the Clarets in the space of four months, as they attempt to take another giant stride towards Premier League crown number three.

MANCHESTER CITY TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Danilo; Fernandinho, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Bernardo, Aguero, Sterling

SUBS: Bravo, Laporte, Adarabioyo, Zinchenko, Yaya Toure, Diaz

Starting with a look at the visiting side, manager Pep Guardiola has made three changes to the side that beat West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium a few days ago. New signing Aymeric Laporte came in for a swifter-than-expected start against the Baggies, fresh on the back of joining from Athletic Bilbao in a club-record move, but Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi are instead preferred today.

Oleksandr Zinchenko also misses out this afternoon, with Danilo filling in at left-back on the opposite flank to the ever-reliable Kyle Walker. The third and final alteration sees David Silva again make way, though it is an injury to his hip sustained against West Brom, and not personal reasons, that prevents him from featuring today. Ilkay Gundogan is tasked with taking over in central midfield, partnering Fernandinho in the engine room.

Further forward is it as you were, as Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva - growing more and more into the role following a fairly slow start to life at the Etihad Stadium - and the advanced Kevin De Bruyne offer support for Sergio Aguero. The Argentina international has scored in each of his last four meetings with Burnley, netting six in total across those fixtures. He is very much the man to watch this afternoon.

BURNLEY TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Pope; Bardsley, Long, Mee, Taylor; Cork, Hendrick; Lennon, Barnes, Gudmundsson; Vokes

SUBS: Lindegaard, Lowton, Nkoudou, Arfield, O'Neil, Wells, Westwood

Ashley Barnes, linked with a surprise move to Chelsea a couple of weeks ago, will provide support in an advanced midfield position, and it is then down to Johann Beg Gudmundsson and Lennon to put some quality balls into the box from wide positions. There is no Steven Defour for the Clarets for today's game, though, and the influential Belgian midfielder - key to Burnley's early-season success - will unlikely play any further part this campaign.

Ashley Barnes, linked with a surprise move to Chelsea a couple of weeks ago, will provide support in an advanced midfield position, and it is then down to Johann Beg Gudmundsson and Lennon to put some quality balls into the box from wide positions. There is no Steven Defour for the Clarets for today's game, though, and the influential Belgian midfielder - key to Burnley's early-season success - will unlikely play any further part this campaign.

James Tarkowski also remains absent, so Kevin Long is given an extended run at centre-back alongside Ben Mee, and between the sticks Nick Pope continues to remain number one due to the injury loss of Tom Heaton. Near enough half of the Clarets' squad are unavailable today, in fact, making a tough task all the more difficult. In terms of those two changes from last time out, Scott Arfield and Ashley Westwood are the men to drop out.

Three changes for Manchester City and two for Burnley, then, although the most striking aspect is that the Citizens have only actually named six subs, as apposed the the regulation seven. Pep Guardiola perhaps trying to send out a message of sorts, having lost the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, Benjamin Mendy and Fabian Delph to injury, while John Stones remains absent through illness.

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It is fair to say that Burnley have been unable to truly build on their stunning form from the first half of the campaign, that left supporters dreaming of a place in the European spots. That was always going to be a major ask, of course, and so it has proved having gone eight Premier League games without victory and nine in all competitions. The Clarets' momentum has come to a halt, though they still remain in an impressive seventh.

That, in many ways, highlights just how brilliant Burnley were in the first half of the season. Despite collecting four points from the last 21 on offer since a 1-0 win at Stoke City on December 12, Dyche's men are ranked 'best of the rest' outside of the top-six elite. There is still an outside chance of catching Arsenal, who continue to stutter in sixth, though holding off Leicester City one place below them is seemingly the Clarets' biggest challenge.

The most recent of those points came at St James' Park on Wednesday evening, when battling back from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw - Vokes's header being helped on to the crossbar before hitting an unfortunate Karl Darlow and crossing the line. It was a decent point on the face of it, leaving Burnley on course for their highest league finish since 1974 when ending the season in sixth place. Come the end of today, though, they could well find themselves in eighth place.

Burnley also exited the FA Cup in the middle of their nine-match winless run in all competitions, coming away to today's opponents in the third round, but Dyche has been quick to remain the media that the Clarets are still in a very strong position. That they are - seventh in the division, boasting 35 points from 25 games and never in any serious relegation danger. Not bad for a team backed as second favourites for the drop with some bookmakers.

Dyche will be desperate to build some momentum in the final third of the campaign, however, and he has a chance to do so with games against Swansea City, Southampton, Everton and West Ham United up next after today. There is no FA Cup to focus on, either, so the Clarets' squad - depleted as it is at the moment - should head into matches feeling pretty fresh. The target is very much to keep putting points on the board and finish in their highest position for some four decades.

DID YOU KNOW? Burnley are aiming to avoid a fourth-straight home league loss for the first time since April 2010, having lost in successive games here to Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United over the last six weeks or so. A sixth home defeat of the campaign this afternoon would equal their tally for the entire of 2016-17.

Burnley were a tad unfortunate to lose against Man United in their most recent home outing; an Anthony Martial goal 10 minutes into the second half - one of only two Red Devils shots on target all match - earning the visitors all three points. Liverpool also snatched victory before that, though Spurs racked up three goals and were deserving winners to kickstart this losing run.

The Clarets are also the lowest-scoring home team in the Premier League, finding the net a combined eight times in their first 12 Turf Moor outings. Another negative stat that they need to improve open concerns their record after conceding the first goal both home and away - they have not won any of their last 51 games when that has been the case, drawing 10 and losing the other 41.

Sean Dyche has worked wonders at Burnley during his time at the club, rightly earning a new contract last month that makes him better played than any of his players. However, with pretty much half of his squad crocked, including key players such as Steven Defour and Tom Heaton, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for the Clarets boss to keep his side in seventh place.

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Despite Guardiola's claims to the contrary, Man City are coasting their way to a third Premier League title as they prepare for this trip to Turf Moor. The Citizens have dropped points just three times all season and it now appears to be a formality in terms of getting over the line. In fact, at their current rate City could possibly win the title against arch-rivals Manchester United in a couple of months' time - that would be quite something.

Focus has shifted towards the domestic cup competitions over the last month, with victories over Burnley and Cardiff City in rounds three and four seeing the Citizens remain on course for success in the FA Cup. Bristol City put up a brave showing in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, meanwhile, but Man City ultimately proved too strong and they remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple when factoring in the Champions League.

It could be argued that winning just the one trophy, even if it is in record-breaking fashion, would be considered an anti--climax of sorts as far as City are concerned. There is no two ways about it - this squad assembled by Guardiola is one of the best ever seen in English football and is surely destined for greatness. A couple of domestic honours would be a good start, though the Champions League remains the holy grail for supporters.

City have won four matches in a row overall since going down 4-3 to Liverpool in a remarkable game of football last month, and they also dropped points away to Crystal Palace before that. The Citizens aiming to avoid a third away league outing without collecting all three points this afternoon, then, which last happened in May 2016. The worrying thing for rival clubs is that this is very much considered a blip as far as City are concerned!

It is 13 wins from 15 when factoring in the draw to Palace and defeat to Liverpool - a remarkable run of form that could well end with four pieces of silverware added to the cabinet. Guardiola rejected claims by Jose Mourinho on Friday that the Premier League title race is over, though, insisting that there are still plenty of points to play for. The Catalan is trying his best to ease the pressure, but if they collapse from this position it will be unprecedented.

City do have some tough games to come, including back-to-back games against Arsenal and Chelsea next month and then Man United and Spurs in April, but those other top-six clubs will also take points off each other. In fact, the Citizens could lose all four of those standout fixtures and will still likely be in a commanding position, highlighting the current gulf in quality between themselves and the rest of the contenders.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Burnley have won just one of their last 18 competitions meetings with Manchester City, coming in a home clash here nearly three years ago; George Boyd scoring the only goal of the match. The Citizens have won the other six of their seven visits to Turf Moor, however, and have already seen off the Clarets twice this season - 3-0 in the reverse league fixture and 4-1 in the FA Cup third round last month.

With kickoff at Turf Moor now a little over five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Sean Dyche: "It's another chance for us to take on one of the super-powers of the league. We have done well against them over the season. Man City are the best side, I think, this season and they have shown that. They are a very powerful side, both home and away. But that's what we love about football. We've seen it at Burnley and outside of Burnley."

Pep Guardiola: "There are 13 games, 39 points to play for. We have a lead of 15. It's not over. We have amazing, tough games to play, for example we cannot deny how complicated it is playing at Burnley. After that we have to go to Stoke City, Goodison Park, we have games against Arsenal, Tottenham, United, Chelsea. Definitely it's not over."

Dyche targeting a famous result this afternoon in an attempt to get his side's campaign back on track. A nine-game winless run in all competitions has massively halted their momentum, but they still occupy that seventh spot - the best any team outside of the top-six elite can aim for - and they have some winnable fixtures ahead. City, on the other hand, are flying high at the summit and can afford to focus on other competitions as we approach the business end of the campaign.

Man City have equalled the best start to a top-flight campaign of any English club, matching Tottenham's record of 22 wins and just the one defeat from the opening 25 games. They have dropped points in their last two away outings, however, perhaps offering Burnley just a little hope of a major upset this afternoon. Three changes made by the Citizens, who only have six subs on the bench, while the Clarets make two alterations.

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KICKOFF! We are up and running in Lancashire in this opening fixture of the Premier League weekend. It has been a tough week for the Citizens, with this their third outing in six days - will that take its toll on their battered players?

City have dominated possession in the opening stages of the contest, pretty much as expected. Space opens up for Gundogan in the middle of the park, but he could not quite help it on to one of his teammates. Ominous signs.

Walker slotted in behind and gets a cross into the box towards the near post, which Mee does well to block behind for a corner. The Burnley centre-back is arguably the best player in the division when it comes to those body-on-the-line blocks.

Barnes required some treatment and, once play resumed, Vokes then needed looking at after smashing his head into the shoulder of Kompany. Incredibly, Bardsley has also gone to ground - the physio has earned his money for the day already!

Man City still on top here without really creating much. Burnley will attempt to keep things tight for as long as possible, but at the moment they have been unable to get the ball high up the field towards the likes of Barnes and Vokes.

One attempt on target so far, technically speaking, as Kompany's header from a corner would have trickled over the line had Pope not been there. All three Burnley players who required treatment early on are seemingly fine to continue.

De Bruyne with a couple of attempts at goal, both of which are blocked away - the latter at the expense of a corner. The Citizens being frustrated in the opening stages of this Premier League clash, with Burnley managing to remain strong at the back.

A nasty collision between Pope and Kompany in the Burnley box. De Bruyne's corner was flicked into a dangerous area, where Kompany gambled by launching himself towards the ball, only to make more connection with the Clarets' stand-in keeper.

We have had four stoppages in play for various injuries now, which is not exactly helping disjointed City find their rhythm. Otamendi's cross-field pass flies high over Sterling's head and straight out of play, summing things up.

Good work from Ederson, who we have barely seen so far, to race outside his box and sweep up possession after Vokes flicked the ball on. Another couple of speculative City shots came to little, as they await their first serious attempt on target.

A nice delivery into the box which Gundogan could not quite turn home. City beginning to turn the screw a little now as, from the next attack, another decent delivery was helped behind by Mee, who is again in the right place at the right time.

A moment of Danilo magic breaks the deadlock for City at Turf Moor. The ball was played short from the corner, catching Burnley off-guard a little as they were far too deep, giving the Brazilian plenty of time and space to curl the ball past Pope from 22 yards.

That was City's first serious attempt of the afternoon, so it would be wrong to suggest that they deserved to break the deadlock, but they have undoubtedly been the better of the two sides. Aguero cuts inside but his shot is blocked by Mee.

Gudmundsson desperate to make something happen for his side, but he is dispossessed and the ball goes out for a goal kick. The Clarets not really asked any questions of their opponents thus far in an attacking sense - they are not alone in that regard this term.

SHOT! Brilliant play from City, as Sterling decided against the shot and laid it off for Gundogan, who in turn squared it back to his teammate. The English winger could not quite get a shot away on this occasion, but he did get a weak attempt on target moments beforehand.

SAVE! Great save from Ederson to keep his side in front! Mee watched the ball all the way and got a volley on target, which was quite central but still required a big reaction stop from City's number one. Burnley's best moment!

Not a great deal between the sides in terms of chances, and Burnley have started to look a little livelier in an attacking sense over the past few minutes. One goal may not be enough for the Citizens to extend their lead at the top to 18 points.

Aguero attempts to wriggle free but cannot get past Long in the Burnley defence. The Clarets have done well since falling behind, keeping things tight at the back and now winning themselves another corner kick at the other end.

CLOSE! Mee is proving to be the best player on the field at the moment. Having produced a number of blocks and fired a volley on target, he leapt highest at the back post to nod the ball narrowly wide - perhaps should have done better.

YELLOW CARD! First caution of the afternoon is shown to Kevin Long, who took Gundogan out of the game when he was looking to break into the final third. De Bruyne then got a shot away for Pope to push to one side.

Much like in the build-up to City's opening goal, there is a sense that they are beginning to turn the screw. A second goal before half time would seriously dent the Clarets' hopes of snatching a point from this contest.

YELLOW CARD! Good play from Lennon, whose run is halted by Gundogan on the edge of the box. City counter through De Bruyne, only for Jack Cork to pull him back and become the second home player to enter the referee's book.

Ederson pounces to collect the ball and then quickly launches another counter. City look so bright in these situations but there is no way through on this occasion, as they are forced down the left-hand side. The first half is very nearly up.

We are into the second of four added-on minutes at Turf Moor. Plenty of stoppages in the opening stages of the contest, explaining the lengthy accumulation. City in no real hurry to add to their scoring, as they knock the ball around.

Aguero with his first chance of the afternoon in the closing stages of the first half, but his shot was struck straight at Pope who stood strong at his near post. The Citizens with a slender lead at the break, courtesy of a sweetly-struck Danilo shot a quarter of the way through.

Pep Guardiola took the surprising decision to name just six substitutes, as apposed to the seven available, which he put down to mounting injury issues. Without a number of key personnel, City took some time to get going in Lancashire with a few speculative shots amounting to little prior to their breakthrough.

Danilo took advantage of a short corner, catching Burnley off-guard as they were far too deep, which allowed the Brazilian full-back to curl a delightful shot past Nick Pope from 22 yards. The league leaders, boasting the joint-best record of any English top-flight side after 25 games, started to click into gear but could not add a second to their tally before the break.

Sergio Aguero wasted his best opening at the end of the opening 45 minutes by shooting at Pope, and it was the Clarets - winless in 51 games when falling behind prior to today - who were left to rue not going into the break all square. A couple of chances came and went for Ben Mee, who saw a left-foot volley pushed aside by Ederson and a back-post header fly wide of the target.

BENCH WATCH!

BURNLEY SUBS: Lindegaard, Lowton, Nkoudou, Arfield, O'Neil, Wells, Westwood

MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: Bravo, Laporte, Adarabioyo, Zinchenko, Yaya Toure, Diaz

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RESTART! Burnley get us back under way at Turf Moor, aiming to recover from a goal down. Manchester City had a couple of chances to add to their scoring in the first half, but the Clarets also came close on two occasions.

News of a change to bring you from the interval - Matt Lowton is on for Phil Bardsley at right-back. Kompany stoops low to flick clear a cross into the box - hard to tell whether he meant to or not, but it worked as the onrushing Burnley player missed out.

CHANCE! Big, big chance for Man City to add a second goal to their tally. Aguero got past Mee and had the ball at his feet five yards from goal, only for his shot to hit Lowton in the back. Sterling also wanted to take it on.

City seriously moving through the gears now, with Aguero volleying a cross into the middle. The ball is blocked behind for a corner, which is ultimately also part defended for a fourth corner in quick succession. On this occasion, Danilo fluffs his lines.

Gundogan has another shot blocked behind for a corner - City's fifth in the opening nine minutes of this second period. Burnley winless in 51 matches when falling behind in a match, remember, so a point likely the best they can hope for here.

CHANCE! City guilty of overplaying here, as Aguero passes up the chance to shoot from a good position and instead picks out Sterling alongside him. The Englishman was under pressure, though, and could not direct the ball on target.

SAVE! City truly dominating this match at the moment, winning yet another corner kick, and it is deja vu as it is worked short to Danilo. This latest shot was not quite in the corner, though, giving Pope a chance to help it over the bar.

Kevin Long, already booked in the first half, mistimes his challenge on Danilo and is perhaps a tad fortunate not to be dismissed. No further punishment, either, because De Bruyne's free kick was struck straight into the wall.

A ninth corner kick of the second half for City, who have somehow yet to add a second goal to their tally. The scoreline may be tight, but Burnley have shown little since the restart to suggest that they have a goal in them.

CLOSE! Gundogan gives away a free kick, earning a yellow card in the process, and further punishment nearly follows. Gudmundsson's delivery was inches too high for both Mee and Vokes to convert towards the back post.

A quarter of the match still to play and there is still just that one Danilo goal between the sides. City not as dominant over the past couple of minutes as they were in the previous 20, but you would fancy them to find a route through shortly.

OFF THE BAR! So, so close to a Burnley leveller! It all came through a Kompany error, misjudging his header and giving Gudmundsson a chance to charge towards the box. The ball is threaded through to Lennon, via Barnes, and his bullet of a shot is superbly tipped on to the crossbar by Ederson.

MISS! That really was a stunning save from Ederson - one of the finest you will see this season. Moments later a truly ridiculous miss from Sterling, who failed to tap home Walker's cross from no more than three yards out - an open goal, too!

A contender for save of the season and miss of the season in the space of two minutes. Burnley will argue they should be level; City will counter by saying it could easily have been game over. Cannot take our eyes off this one at the moment!

YELLOW CARD! Ben Mee halts the run of Bernardo Silva and becomes the third Burnley player to see a yellow card. Half a chance for Lennon, who smashed his volley over the bar on his weaker foot. Sterling makes way for Brahim Diaz.

Burnley looking much better over the last 10 minutes, having sat exclusively in their own half for the opening 20 minutes of the second period. Still all to play for at Turf Moor as we approach the closing stages of the contest.

A cross from the left is as teasing as you like, but targetman Vokes could not get on the end of it. Guardiola may be tempted to make a second change shortly - City are looking a little vulnerable at the back at the moment.

Eighty minutes into the match and still just a couple of changes made - Diaz replacing Sterling and Lowton coming on for Bardsley. City no longer as dominant as they were and the Clarets could well snatch a point from this contest.

Burnley are level through a smart finish from Gudmundsson, who take advantage of Kyle Walker's lapse in concentration to send a half-volley past Ederson. A right-sided cross has proved to be City's undoing, and they now have seven minutes to respond.

Five minutes to go at Turf Moor, where Burnley are aiming to hold on for a shock result. A third away game in a row without a win in the Premier League for City, unless they bag a late goal - and they have done that plenty of times this term.

If the scoreline does remain this way - and it does not look like changing on the basis of the last few minutes - that Raheem Sterling miss will be looked back at as a key moment. Still a few minutes of normal time, plus stoppage time, for City to find a winner.

City the team pressing for the third goal of the game, with Burnley desperately attempting to see out the final throes of the match. They have dug deep, particularly in this second half, and their reward will be a rare home point against City.

Great defending from Lennon to not only deny Diaz a shooting chance but also win his side a goal kick - the ball came back off the substitute. Three minutes of added time to be played here, with just one second-half substitution.

The full-time whistle sounds at Turf Moor, meaning that Manchester City have dropped pointed for the third away game in a row in the Premier League. Johan Burg Gudmundsson popped up to earn Burnley a huge point against the champions-elect, giving Manchester United a little incentive ahead of their meeting with Huddersfield Town in a short while.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from Lancashire. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while updates from a selection of other 3pm kickoffs in the Premier League can be found elsewhere on the site. Thanks for joining!