Burnley vs Man City LIVE: Team news and updates from Premier League clash – UK Times

There were exuberant scenes at the final whistle – Gianluigi Donnarumma leapt into the crowd behind his goal and supporters unfurled a banner which read ‘Panic on the streets of London’, quoting The Smiths, as Arsenal feel the pressure.

“We talked immediately after the game, do not lose the focus. Arsenal is top of the league and right now they would be the champions,” said Pep Guardiola in his pre-match press conference.

“The recovery is much less than the last two weeks. It’s just two days. That is why I have to see how people are recovering. It’s a demanding game we had, both emotionally and physically.

“But at the same time, we have six games left. We know exactly what is going to happen, when we get the result or if we don’t get the result,” explained the Catalan.

“Both teams [City & Arsenal] know what happened in the past. Both teams know they cannot lose or drop points. It will be difficult to recover. And our calendar is so demanding, especially when we have a game coming up against an opponent [Everton] that is really, really tough,” he added.

“Having an understanding of where we are and searching for something – I don’t think that’s a big player in terms of us,” said Burnley boss Scott Parker in his pre-match conference.

“That has been a challenge over the last few months because we haven’t managed to pick up results. That burden has been on our shoulders for a long time now. That’s where we are.

“It comes down to what the players want as individuals. From my side, as always the driver will be that there are certain things you can control. There are certain traits and habits you can control.

“Not getting a result or the outcome of a performance sometimes you can accept when you fall a little bit short due to many reasons, but one thing you can never fall short on is what you are in control of. That has to be a mainstay and that will be the message,” added the former England midfielder.

The Ballon d’Or winner has a groin problem, which will be examined on Sunday or Monday, as Pep Guardiola waits to discover the extent of the damage.

Rodri, who was replaced by Nico Gonzalez when he went off in the 88th minute, has found his best form of the season in recent weeks as City have recorded four straight wins in all competitions.

Burnley have won just one of their 19 Premier League games against City, losing 15. They have also lost the last 11 in a row.

Conversely, City have won 14 of their last 15 games against Burnley since a 1-0 loss at Turf Moor in 2015.

Here’s the report from a potentially pivotal afternoon at the Etihad as City beat Arsenal last time out…

The league table never lies, apparently. It may do now. A supposed title decider ended with the side still in second nevertheless possessing the advantage. It has been Arsenal’s title to lose for months, but perhaps this defeat means it is being lost.

In the 83rd minute of Arsenal’s clash with Man City, there was another flash point between Gabriel and Haaland after the former made a foul from behind and the striker pushed the defender away from him when he got back to his feet.

Gabriel reacted by putting his head towards Haaland’s and they stood for a moment with their foreheads touching. But Gabriel then made a second movement and pushed his head towards Haaland’s for a second time. Haaland did not respond, as team-mates from both sides broke them up, but Gabriel was extremely fortunate that Haaland did not go down as it would likely have ended up as a red card for violent conduct.

With a title race that is this close, however, Gabriel staying on the pitch and avoiding a three-game ban for violent conduct could be crucial. “He can thank Haaland a lot, Gabriel, for not going down and holding his nose,” Gary Neville said on Sky Sports.

Haaland admitted as much after the match, telling Sky Sports that he could have made more out of the contact but chose not to. “If I fell on the floor there, which I will not do unless someone really attacks me, then it would maybe be red card,” Haaland said.

Three years ago it was the sight of Erling Haaland’s long hair flowing behind him as he celebrated the final goal of Manchester City’s thumping 4-1 over Arsenal that summed up how Pep Guardiola’s side had ripped apart Mikel Arteta’s challengers. Three years later, the sight of Haaland’s ripped undershirt, following his latest grappling duel with Gabriel Magalhaes, that symbolised another defining victory.

City were not rampant this time. Arsenal went away from that bruising defeat in April 2023 and returned stronger, both physically and mentally. And yet, Haaland was still able to hold off Arsenal’s biggest and most important defender as he fired the winning goal to settle a colossal clash. Following Jeremy Doku’s surge into the box and Nico O’Reilly’s flick across goal, Haaland pounced on the chance as he held off Gabriel to volley in. In a fascinating tactical duel, City had the muscle to take a step closer to the title.

At full-time, Haaland could be seen pointing his ear and singing, “Ooooh, sometimes, I get a good feeling”. He’s been in this race before.

Eberechi Eze struck the inside of the post just a couple of minutes before Haaland held off Gabriel to volley City into the lead.

Man City’s star midfielder Rodri limped off in the closing stages of the win against Arsenal on Sunday with a groin injury and, if not match-fit, Nico Gonzalez could deputise. Otherwise, Pep Guardiola is likely to continue with an in-form starting XI.

Predicted Man City XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O’Reilly; Rodri, Silva; Semenyo, Cherki, Doku; Haaland