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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
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Simon Bajkowski & Tyrone Marshall & Liam Wood

How Man City should line-up against Burnley in their Premier League fixture

Manchester City only have two injured players for their Premier League return against Burnley - but there is plenty for Pep Guardiola to ponder before the trip to Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon (3pm). Ruben Dias and Cole Palmer have been ruled out with hamstring and foot issues.

One point separates City from Liverpool heading into the latest Premier League matchday. However, the important games continue to come thick and fast for Guardiola and his star-studded side. Between now and April 10 they play the Clarets, Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and Liverpool themselves.

John Stones (knee) has recovered as part of an injury update from the City manager. Here is how three Manchester Evening News reporters think City might line-up against Burnley;

READ MORE: Every word from Pep Guardiola press conference plus Man City team news

Simon Bajkowski

City have to start this gauntlet of matches on the right foot and that means their strongest line-up against Burnley. Stones should be fit to keep up his partnership with Aymeric Laporte - and it makes sense to play Kyle Walker given he is suspended for the Champions League still.

Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Rodri have been the three outstanding midfielders for City this season, even if not necessarily at the same time. De Bruyne's directness should help in a tough contest at Turf Moor. Phil Foden's sharpness will also be needed, while Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez are the two most likely to find a goal threat.

Liam Wood

Second-guessing what Guardiola is thinking is never a sensible idea at the best of times. However, this game really does pose a conundrum to the City manager. One school of thought would be to pick his best XI and assess things beyond that for Atletico and Liverpool over the next 10 days.

However, the reality is City will need their best 13/14 players for these next three matches and, with that, he ought to look at where he can make changes here. Such is their importance to the cause, Portugal stars Joao Cancelo and Bernardo might benefit from a short rest following important international exploits. There are capable replacements in Oleksandr Zinchenko and the (sometimes) under-used Ilkay Gundogan.

Tyrone Marshall

This is a real tricky selection for Guardiola. Burnley away has a reputation it no longer deserves but can be testing, although City will want to try and keep some players fresh for the challenges that lie ahead in their double-header with Atletico and Liverpool.

Stones is available, which is promising news given the Dias update and he can partner Nathan Ake in defence, with Laporte getting a rest. Walker is still a hard man to replace at right-back, but Zinchenko could step in for Cancelo to give the Portuguese star a well-deserved breather.

Starts for Fernandinho have been few and far between this campaign, but he knows what it takes in these games. Gundogan and Bernardo, who didn't feature against Southampton, complete the midfield. Gabriel Jesus might find action hard to come by in the weeks ahead, so this is another obvious start for him.

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