Manchester City vs Burton Albion predictions and match preview

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Manchester City will be hoping to avoid a shock when they face Burton Albion in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie.

Defending champions City have beaten Oxford United, Fulham and Leicester City so far in the tournament, while League One Burton have got past Shrewsbury Town, Aston Villa, Burnley, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough.

Read on for Man City v Burton live stream options, team news, predicted XIs, stats and TV channel info.

When is Manchester City vs Burton Albion?

Competition: English League Cup

Venue: Etihad Stadium

Date: Wednesday, 9 January

Kick-off: 7:45 PM GMT

Match preview

Defending Carabao Cup champions Manchester City will be hoping they can put one step in the final when they welcome Burton Albion to the Etihad on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola’s side go into the game off the back of three wins in all competitions, beating Southampton 3-1, Liverpool 2-1 and Rotherham 7-0 having endured back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Leicester City either side of Christmas.

Their opponents are in a good patch of form themselves, with Burton unbeaten in their past four games including a 4-0 win against Rochdale at the weekend to push Nigel Clough’s men up to ninth in League One.

The Brewers have also been minor giant killers in the League Cup this season, with four of their five wins coming against teams in higher divisions, including Premier League side Burnley.

City, on the other hand, have faced two Premier League sides in Fulham and Leicester – only just edging past the latter on penalties, in addition to a routine win over Oxford United.

At this stage last season Man City beat Championship side Bristol City over two legs to book a final spot against Arsenal, whom they beat 3-0, and Guardiola will be hopeful of the same this year.

Where can I watch live?

UK residents will be able to watch Man City’s game against Burton on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, channels 401 and 403 respectively on Sky, and channels 501 and 503 respectively for Virgin Media users.

Will Guardiola prioritise the Premier League?

Despite beating Liverpool last week, Man City remain four points off the top of the Premier League, and it would be understandable for Guardiola to focus on retaining his title.

But against Rotherham in the FA Cup, Guardiola pulled no punches with his starting XI, naming the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan, Kyle Walker and Ederson.

And it is likely to be the same for the League Cup on Wednesday, with the competition looked at as a good starting point for later success in the season with four of the past five winners going on to add another trophy.

Can Burton spring a shock result?

Burton may be extra cautious after watching City’s 7-0 mauling of Rotherham at the Etihad, but the League One side can look to last season’s Carabao Cup for some inspiration.

Despite ultimately losing, Bristol City gave Pep Guardiola’s side a tough first leg and even took the lead going into half-time. The Robins did lose the game 2-1 and tie 5-3, but left the two matches with their heads held high and had looked like upsetting Man City on occasion.

It may take a bit of fortune on Burton’s behalf, but the League One side could take a positive result into the second leg.

When is the second leg and Carabao Cup final?

With Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham all in the fourth round of the FA Cup, the date and time of the Carabao Cup semi-final second legs are yet to be confirmed. However, they have been scheduled for Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23, January.

The final will take place at Wembley on Sunday, 24 February.

Head-to-head

Wednesday’s meeting will be the first-ever game between Manchester City and Burton Albion

Man City wins: 0 Draws: 0 Burton wins: 0

Team news

With Kevin De Bruyne returning back to match fitness, City will only have Claudio Bravo and Benjamin Mendy as their long-term absentees. Guardiola may look to name a slightly rotated team as he did against Rotherham, while ensuring his key players remain fresh for their Premier League clash against Wolves next weekend.

Meanwhile, Burton will be hoping Stephen Quinn can recover having been forced off early in the Brewers’ 4-0 win over Rochdale at the weekend. John Brayford is also expected to return having been rested for the win. Kyle McFadzean and Marvin Sordell are unlikely to feature.

Predicted Man City XI: Ederson; Danilo, Kompany, Laporte, Delph; Foden, David Silva, De Bruyne; Sane, Aguero, Bernardo Silva.

Predicted Burton Albion XI:  Collins; Brayford, Buxton, Turner, Hutchinson; Fraser, Quinn, Allen, Myers-Harness, Akins; Boyce.

Squawka Prediction

Should City play a similar strength team to the one which hammered Rotherham United in the FA Cup, then this game can only have one result. 4-0 Man City.

The post Manchester City vs Burton Albion predictions and match preview appeared first on Squawka News.



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