Rising stars vs. champions in Premier League opener!

The 32nd season of the Premier League kicks off! In the opener, promoted Burnley take on champions Manchester City. Tips and odds are at hand from the betting base! The home side have made an immediate return to promotion after going down to the Championship last year.

But on their return to the top flight, BFC must now go head-to-head with the champions of the last three seasons. For Burnley coach Vincent Kompany, the match is also very special from a personal point of view – after all, the Belgian kicked for over ten years in the Skyblues’ defence.

For the Premier League opener between Burnley and Manchester City, the prediction includes a success for the visitors, including a lead at the break from them.

Burnley – Statistics & current form

“Vince the Prince” took over the team from Turf Moor after last year’s relegation and led them back to the English top flight posthaste. After a rather mixed time as a coach at his hometown club Anderlecht, the 37-year-old has now obviously found his happiness at Burnley.

In his first PL game as coach of the Clarets, he will hope to break the previous streak of Burnley coaches in their first games in the country’s top division. To date, no BFC coach has won their respective debut game in the PL (0-1-3).

Burnley have yet to win in the PL on Fridays

The home side will also have mixed feelings about the match, not only because of the strength of their opponents, but also because of the Friday date. So far, the promoted side have played three times on this day of the week in the Premier League, but always failed to score a goal of their own (0-1-2)!

Against City, however, the “Clarets” are counting on the home bonus: In 2023, they have lost only one game in front of their own fans. The defeat came last April against Queens Park Rangers (1:2). However, the tasks in the English top flight are now much more demanding compared to the last championship season in the Championship and this is especially true with regard to the upcoming opponents.

In addition, Nathan Tell, the top scorer of the “Wine Reds” from the promotion season, could not be kept. The 24-year-old now plays for Southampton and thus remains in the Championship. In addition, Manuel Benson, the second best goal scorer of the previous season, is probably out of action due to injury.

Will the visitors go through without conceding a goal?

Since it is now also against a top defence, tips and odds on an away win to nil are also recommended for the duel between Burnley and Manchester City. The unconvincing performances of the attack in the test matches also speak in favour of this. In the four games of this kind against teams like Mainz or Betis Sevilla, Burnley only scored three goals.

Predicted Burnley line-up:

Burnley (Expected line-up) 4-2-3-1

Manchester City – Statistics & current form

The champions of the last three years are once again the top favourites for the title this season. The Cityzens not only won the championship last season, but also the FA Cup and, to top it off, the Champions League title for the first time.

By winning the top division, Pep Guardiola overcame the trauma of his numerous unsuccessful attempts as City coach in previous years and further consolidated his status as an exceptional coach.

In preparation, however, the guests still acted somewhat shakily. Victories against Yokohama and Bayern were followed by a defeat against the “Colchoneros” from Madrid. Furthermore, the dress rehearsal was lost to Arsenal in the Community Shield last weekend. However, the defeat was only very close, as it only came about after the penalty shootout.

Haaland to fix it in attack again

On the offensive, the visitors will of course once again rely first and foremost on Erling Haaland. The Norwegian was the Premier League’s top scorer in pre-season and scored two goals in his very first PL game in this season’s opener.

The ex-Borussian also has a good feel for his upcoming opponents, scoring a hat-trick against Burnley in last year’s FA Cup quarter-final! With this in mind, the prediction for Burnley’s clash with Manchester City is that he will be the first goalscorer on referee Pawson’s score sheet.

Predicted Manchester City line-up:

Manchester City (Expected line-up) 3-2-4-1

Burnley – Manchester City Direct Comparison / H2H Record

Burnley have won just one of their last 23 league games against Manchester City (1-6-16). Furthermore, their most recent eight meetings with the champions have all been lost, with a disastrous goal difference of 1:26!

Burnley – Manchester City betting tips

Burnley picked up 101 points in the Championship last season. A huge number, which quickly makes clear that the Kompany troops have earned their promotion. Moreover, no team scored more goals and conceded fewer.

Now, however, the home side will be focusing their season planning solely on staying in the league. The squad has lost its top striker and has been strengthened in places, but for the very high demands in the PL, it is average at best.

For the match between Burnley and Manchester City, betting odds on an away win, including an interval lead for the visitors, are therefore worth considering. The champions will want to set an example to their rivals on the first matchday and will therefore be very motivated.

Moreover, City is superior to Burnley in all positions, which is why the resistance of the hosts will probably already reach its limits before the break and the guests will go into the half-time break with a lead. The prediction is backed up by a look at the pre-season: Manchester won seven times away from home with an interval lead – only Arsenal (8) topped that number league-wide.