City focus on league matters

Pep Guardiola has urged his Manchester City players to focus on the Premier League in the next few months, having made sure of progress in the Champions League.  A 1-1 draw away to Borussia Monchengladbach was enough to ensure that the Citizens will finish in second place in Group C, although Barcelona’s 2-0 win at Celtic means that top spot is now beyond the reach of City.

We have qualified with one game left and it’s a big compliment for the team.

Pep Guardiola

However, Guardiola was not too concerned by that situation, instead looking to the positives that qualification had been secured before the last group game in December.

The Spaniard said: “I’m happy to be there in the last 16. We have qualified with one game left and it’s a big compliment for the team.

“We have qualification in the pocket until February, so now we can focus finally on one competition, the Premier League, and we can be so satisfied.

“(However) if we play like we did in the opening minutes here, we will lose in the Premier League.”

City return to domestic action at lunchtime on Saturday when they make the short trip to Turf Moor to take on Burnley.

Star striker Sergio Aguero is expected to feature, with Guardiola playing down a slight knock sustained by the Argentinian late on in the game in Germany.

The Citizens lie third in the Premier League table going into the weekend action, having won just twice in their last six league games, although their last outing ended in a 2-1 success at Crystal Palace.

The men from Manchester are 2/7 to take all three points at Burnley and are 13/2 to win by a 2-0 scoreline, with City available at 10/11 to keep a clean sheet.

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Source: Bet365