Kompany a City legend – Pep
Manchester City welcome back former captain Vincent Kompany who takes charge of Burnley for this evening’s FA Cup quarter-final. Kompany’s men should provide a good test for City as the Clarets have been revived under the Belgian in the Championship this season. They are 13 points clear at the top of the table and have both the best attack and the best defence in the second tier.
Pep Guardiola’s men come in the match in exceptional form. They are unbeaten in nine matches across all competitions and stormed into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 7-0 rout over RB Leipzig in their last outing. Erling Haaland scored five in that match but he is unlikely to start today as City’s squad depth means the likes of Phil Foden, John Stones and Julian Alvarez should feature in the starting line-up.
The last meeting between these teams saw City run out 2-0 winners in April of last year. They enter the tie as firm favourites but will be careful not to underestimate Burnley, with Kompany returning to his old home to try and defeat the team he captained to four Premier League titles and two FA Cup wins.
Follow all the action from the FA Cup quarter-finals as Man City host Burnley:
What is the team news?
Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva misses the tie through suspension after he picked up his second yellow card of the competition in that game at Ashton Gate.
Ilkay Gundogan is expected to be available after his wife gave birth to their first son 24 hours after he scored in the 7-0 Champions League win over RB Leipzig.
Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill is likely to miss the tie as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury but Manuel Benson returned to the squad in Wednesday’s win at Hull City.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis played in the Under-21 game at Oakwell on Monday but cannot play against his parent club.
Michael Jones18 March 2023 15:50
How to watch Manchester City vs Burnley?
The match will kick off at 5.45pm GMT on Saturday 18 March.
It will be shown live on BBC 1, with coverage starting at 5.25pm. If you have a TV licence, you can also watch online or stream the game on BBC iPlayer.
Michael Jones18 March 2023 15:45
Manchester City vs Burnley
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of this FA Cup quarter-final between Man City and Burnley.
Vincent Kompany’s Clarets have performed admirably to reach this stage of the competition and will have their sights set on further glory when they take on the Premier League champions at the Etihad Stadium.
Kompany spent 11 years at City between 2008–2019 making 265 appearances for the club and winning for Premier League titles and two FA Cups. Now he returns hoping to inflict some pain on Pep Guardiola’s men and lead Burnley into the final four.
City, of course, are the favourites to progress. Guardiola puts a lot of emphasis on domestic trophies and will, at the very least, want to reach the final at Wembley. With Arsenal five points clear at the top of the Premier League and a tough draw against Bayern Munich in the Champions League the FA Cup could be City’s best chance at collecting silverware this term.
Changes are expected to their starting XI after a 7-0 triumph over RB Leipzig in the week. Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez are likely to feature and City’s squad depth is such that whoever makes the field today will be a handful for the Championship leaders.
Will City progress as expected or can Burnley shock the Premier League champions?
Michael Jones18 March 2023 13:45
