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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 22
Manchester City v Burnley
Etihad Stadium
Manchester, England
Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Kick-off is at 21h30 CAT
Vincent Kompany heads back to his former stomping ground for the first time when Manchester City host Burnley at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, January 31 in an
EPL matchup.
The Belgian enjoyed an illustrious 11-year spell at City as a player before returning to Anderlecht in 2019 and then becoming the coach of his boyhood club.
Kompany was handed the reins at Turf Moor in June 2022 following the Clarets' relegation from the Premier League and them guided them back at the first attempt after winning the Championship with 101 points.
Kompany's side have found the going tough on their return to the top flight though, recording just three wins from their opening 21 matches to sit 19th in the standings.
A 1-1 home draw with fellow strugglers Luton (18th) on January 12 left them five points adrift of safety, although none of their relegation rivals took advantage after Sheffield United (20th) and Everton (17th) also drew on matchday 21.
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The Citizens appear to have rediscovered their form again following a patchy November and early December, which saw them go four games without a win.
However, Pep Guardiola's side beat Newcastle 3-2 at St James' Park on January 13 to register their fourth win in five outings as they climbed up to second place ahead of Arsenal (3rd) and Aston VIlla (4th) on goal difference.
Liverpool went five points clear at the top of the table after they ran out comprehensive 4-0 victors against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on January 21.
Bernardo Silva has underlined his importance to City in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, contributing six goals and four assists in 17 appearances, 14 of which saw him play the entire 90 minutes. The Portuguese winger opened the scoring against the Magpies with a cheeky flick from the instep of his right foot as he turned home Kyle Walker's low cross.
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Zeki Amdouni looks at home in the top tier of English football despite Burnley's struggles and scored his fourth goal of the season against Luton since making the switch from Lausanne-Sport in July 2023. The Swiss striker nearly had an assist too after he played in Johann Berg Gudmundsson, who was denied by a fine save from Thomas Kaminski at close range.
Guardiola sang the praises of De Bruyne, who scored on his return against the Magpies and set up Oscar Bobb for the late winner, having missed the last 18 games with a hamstring injury.
"He's a special player, he's a legend who is so beloved for our people," the Spaniard said. "He's fresh in his mind because five months is a long time and in the second half of the season he can help us to be there until the end.
"He needs to have a bit more freedom and space and to be able to move to where his nose or gut is telling him at that moment to create some passes.
"When Kevin has the ball, we need runners like Oscar as he did today, Phil [Foden] and Erling [Haaland]. His goal was fantastic."
Kompany was at a loss to explain how the Hatters' 92nd-minute equaliser was allowed to stand after Elijah Adebayo clattered into James Trafford as the goalkeeper came out to challenge goalscorer Carlton Morris for an aerial ball.
"I'm shocked, I'm disappointed and it's the same discussion that we are having again like we did after Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Forest," the Belgian said.
"Of course we have to look at ourselves and move on and you know the person I am, I will only blame us and what we could have done better.
"Right now, I just can't give explanation for what's just happened. The boys put up a fight and put in a performance but yet again, we're talking about another incident."
Man City v Burnley Head-to-Head
(Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Man City - 5
Burnley - 0
Draws - 0
Premier League Matchday 22 fixtures:
Tuesday, January 30
21h30: Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
21h45: Fulham v Everton
21h45: Luton Town v Brighton & Hove Albion
22h00: Crystal Palace v Sheffield United
22h15: Aston Villa v Newcastle United
Wednesday, January 31
21h30: Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford
21h30: Manchester City v Burnley
22h15: Liverpool v Chelsea
Thursday, February 1
21h30: West Ham United v Bournemouth
22h15: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United
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