The 2023/2024 Premier League season starts on Friday with Champions Manchester City traveling to Turf Moor to face new boys Burnley, managed by the noisy neighbours, old boy Vincent Kompany.
Pep Guardiola, treble-winning team will be gunning for a fourth unprecedented title charge, something which has never been achieved in the history of English football.
Their first hurdle is Burnley, who secured Premier League football with seven Championship games remaining in 2022/23 championship-winning season, the earliest promotion in the competition’s history.
Guardiola during his presser on Thursday claimed Kompany ” destroyed the championship last season” with the brand of football he played, compared to the defensive ideology of Sean Dyche.
Kompany transformed Burnley from a direct and conservative side into an attacking fluid and dominant possession-based team cumulating in Kompany becoming the first manager in Burnley’s history to finish a season with 100+ points.
Kompany, during his press conference, said: “I would play every week of every month of every year against a team the level of Man City.
“That is the best way to improve. You won’t get them all right, it’s impossible with the quality of that team – possibly the best team at the moment in world football but that’s the best challenge so I wouldn’t want it any different.”
The Citizens would be without Ilkay Gundogan, who departed for Barcelona and Riyad Mahrez, who recently joined Al-Ahli; they have also signed two Croatian players — Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol.
Guardiola confirmed that summer signing Gvadiol would be available for selection, the Croatian was brought in to be City’s transition monster, his passing range is better than any other young center-back in world football, he is perfect fit to Guardiola dynamic 3-2-2-3.
Burnley predicted XI: Trafford, Roberts, Beyer, O’Shea, Vitinho; Cork, Cullen; Redmond, Brownhill, Zaroury, Amdouni.
Manchester City predicted XI Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji; Kovacic, Rodri, De Bruyne; Bernardo, Haaland, Grealish.
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