The FA Cup quarter-final action gets underway on Saturday and there will be a familiar face returning to the Etihad Stadium, as Vincent Kompany will be hoping his Burnley side can spring a surprise at the home of his former club Manchester City.
Kompany spent a trophy-laden 11-year spell with the Citizens - much of it as captain - during which time he helped the club to four Premier League titles, four League Cups, as well as two successes in the FA Cup.
Since leaving the Etihad in 2019, Kompany has set about carving out a successful managerial career and he is currently thriving at Burnley with the Clarets sitting top of the Championship standings and seeming well-placed to secure an instant return to the Premier League.
Saturday's trip to City will prove Kompany's biggest challenge yet in the Burnley dugout, with the Citizens priced at 1/14 in the To Qualify market, while the Clarets are 8/1 to become the first team to book their place in this year's semi-finals at Wembley.
Kompany returning as a City legend
| What | Manchester City v Burnley |
| Where | Etihad Stadium, Manchester |
| When | 17:45, Saturday 18th March |
| How to watch | bet365’s Sports Live Streaming, BBC One and iPlayer |
| Odds | Arsenal 2/7, Draw 17/4, Crystal Palace 12/1 |
Former Belgium international Kompany was a relatively low-key arrival when he joined City as a player from German outfit Hamburg in the summer of 2008, but he quickly established himself as a key figure as the club became one of the division's dominant sides.
Kompany won his first trophy with City when lifting the FA Cup in 2011 and, after being installed captain the following season, he helped them to their maiden Premier League title in 2012 when Sergio Aguero's stoppage-time goal on the final day of the season sealed the most dramatic of successes.
More trophies were to follow for Kompany at City, although his impact on the pitch waned during his final few seasons with the club due to fitness issues.
However, the defender saved arguably his best moment until the end of his career, as his thunderbolt strike against Leicester in May 2019 helped City on their way to the Premier League title, as part of a domestic treble they won that season.
In total, Kompany made 360 appearances for City across all competitions, scoring 20 goals, but Saturday's FA Cup tie will be the first time he has returned to the Etihad Stadium as an opposition manager.
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Clarets loving life under Kompany
Upon leaving City, Kompany joined Belgian club Anderlecht, initially as a player before quickly stepping into the dugout as manager where he enjoyed relative success - most notably lifting the Belgian Cup in 2022 - before he moved to Burnley last summer.
The Clarets had just been relegated from the Premier League and were expected to need a season of transition in the Championship, but Kompany has put together arguably one of the best sides the second tier has ever seen.
Burnley currently top the standings, sitting 13 points clear of Sheffield United in second and 19 ahead of third-place Middlesbrough, meaning they only need nine points from their final nine games to be assured of promotion.
Not only has Kompany got Burnley winning matches, but they have also been doing so in style, as they are the leading scorers in the Championship this season, averaging exactly two-goals-per-game from their 37 matches.
A first FA Cup semi-final appearance since 1974 could also be on the cards for the Clarets, but first they must see off City, with the visitors priced at 14/1 in the Full Time Result market.
City peaking at the right time
Burnley may well be tearing it up in the Championship, but a trip to the Etihad Stadium represents a huge step up in quality, especially as City appear to be hitting peak form.
Pep Guardiola's side are still in the running to win the treble this season, as they are not only going strong in the FA Cup, but also in the Premier League, where they are well-placed to challenge leaders Arsenal, and the Champions League after they thrashed RB Leipzig 7-0 in the second leg of their round of 16 tie during the week.
That European annihilation marked City's fifth win on the spin across all competitions and their form at home has been imperious since the turn of the year, as they have won all seven of their matches at the Etihad in 2023.
The Citizens are priced at 2/11 in the Full Time Result market to make it eight home victories in a row on Saturday, which would also extend their recent dominance over Burnley.
Across the last 10 meetings between the two sides, City have won them all by an aggregate score of 34-1 and it is 6/4 for the Citizens to claim a win with over 3.5 goals in the match in the Result / Total Goals market.
City to make changes
Guardiola is expected to rotate his starting XI for this game meaning players such as Erling Haaland, who netted five in the midweek victory over Leipzig, could be rested, with the likes of Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez pushing for recalls.
Foden has scored four goals across his last four starts for City - putting his recent injury problems behind him - and the England star is 21/10 to net anytime in the Goalscorers market.
Burnley also have an in-form forward to call upon in Nathan Tella, with the on-loan Southampton man having netted five goals across his last two games, including a hat-trick in the midweek 3-1 win at Hull.
Tella is 17/2 to score anytime at the Etihad, although Burnley will head into the match with doubts surrounding the fitness of a quartet of players, with Josh Brownhill (illness), Darko Churlinov (illness), Manuel Benson (foot) and Jay Rodriguez (knock) all set to miss out.
Defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis will also sit out the contest, as he is on loan for the season from City and therefore ineligible to face his parent club.
