Burnley v Manchester City – Stats and Facts

The title run-in starts here. Nine games to go and no international interruptions as Manchester City go head-to-head with Liverpool as the two battle it out to be crowned Premier League champions.

The two meet on 10^th April in what is billed as the title decider, however we all know better than to think one game can decide the destination of the Premier League title. But before then, City travel to Burnley and a scrap against a team fighting for top-flight survival.

City’s recent record at Burnley is extremely good. The blues have suffered just one defeat since 1974 and have won ten of their subsequent thirteen matches in all competitions. They have won the last four matches at Turf Moor and the last league game ended 2-0 to City in February 2021.

However, looking back over historical results, City have had mixed fortunes at the home of the Lancashire side. In the forty-two games played up to March 1976, City won just ten matches and lost twenty-one in all competitions. The blues had some heavy defeats before the Premier League era, with a 5-2 battering in April 1922 surpassed by a 6-3 loss in January 1962.

That is the blues heaviest defeat at Burnley, but their biggest win came in March 1999 when the blues trounced the Clarets 6-0, just days after promotion rivals Gillingham had beaten them 5-0 at Turf Moor. The blues followed that up with a 6-1 triumph in April 2010, when the were 3-0 after just seven minutes.

City have scored eighty-five goals at Burnley but have also conceded eighty-three. Both teams have prevented the other from scoring on fifteen occasions, including five goalless draws. The last time both teams failed to score was March 1976. The last time City failed to score was March 2015 when Burnley beat the blues 1-0. Other than that, City have scored in all their meetings since beating Burnley in an FA Cup third round tie in 1991, which the blues won 1-0.

The longest winning streak for City is five matches, achieved between 1991 and 2010, during which time, City scored eighteen times to Burnley’s 3. A win on Saturday will equal that run. The longest unbeaten run for City is six matches, achieved by tagging the 1976 goalless draw onto their five-match winning run.

The longest winless run came between December 1938 and December 1955 when the blues failed to win any of their ten visits to Burnley. The longest losing streak is six matches between February 1920 and April 1925.

Should we give a couple of stats to keep the superstitious awake tonight? Of course we will. City have never beaten Burnley at Turf Moor when the year ends in a 2 - 1902 (1-1), 1922 (5-2 loss), 1952 (2-1 loss), 1962 (6-3 loss), 1962 (0-0). City have also won and lost three matches in the month of April but have previously played Burnley at Turf Moor on 2^nd April 1921 – and lost 2-1. Burnley finished fourth that season while City finished 13^th.

Will City’s recent good results at Burnley continue, or will the Clarets spring a surprise and put City’s title aspirations in doubt?