Their rivals in today’s English Premier League clash, Burnley, may be languishing in the relegation zone in the league, but Man City custodian believes his team will have their work cut out at Turf Moor
Burnley: Joe Hart has warned Manchester City to learn the lessons of their past encounters with struggling Premier League clubs as they prepare to face Burnley at Turf Moor today.
Manchester City’s Joe Hart looks on during their Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Etihad Stadium in December last year. PIC/Getty Images
City surrendered a 2-0 advantage to draw 2-2 with Sean Dyche’s team on December 28 and have also dropped points against QPR, Everton and Hull, all of whom are in the bottom seven in the table.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side beat Leicester 2-0 in their last outing on March 4, but were made to work hard by the lowly Foxes before James Milner scored in the 89th minute to seal the points.
“Last week, we played Leicester, who are bottom of the league and had to fight for a 2-0 — it will be the same at Burnley,” City goalkeeper Hart said. “That is just how it is in the Premier League, and as soon as you let that get to you, it will crush you.”
Missed opportunities
The champions’ missed opportunities have been exploited by Chelsea, who lead the league by five points, having played one game fewer. Pellegrini is expected to have a full-strength squad to choose from, but the Chilean will be mindful of keeping his stars fresh for City’s Champions League Last 16 second leg in Barcelona on Wednesday.
The last time Burnley were in the Premier League, in 2009-10, they also drew at Eastlands. But they were swamped 6-1 in the reverse meeting, conceding three goals in the opening seven minutes, as they headed for relegation.
Burnley’s woes
The Lancashire club are in the bottom three again and, after failing to win in seven league games, manager Dyche is aware of the scale of the task facing his side.
“We know the power of these clubs. There’s lots been made of the spending power but you’ve still got to spend it wisely and I think they have,” he said. “They have got some fantastic players. We experienced that once before and gave a good performance and I think overall on the day deserved a point.”
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