Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Manchester City and Burnley at the Etihad Stadium!

You will be hard pressed to find a team in better form than Man City right now, with Pep Guardiola's side scoring goals for fun and keeping things tight at the other end - a winning formula which is easy on the eye too. Burnley are in good form themselves, though, and have already taken points off plenty of the big boys this season, so this one may not be as straightforward as it appears on first glance.

Before we delve deeper into both sides, though, let's first check out the team news...

MAN CITY STARTING XI: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Delph; Fernandinho, Bernardo, Silva, De Bruyne, Sane; Aguero

MAN CITY SUBS: Bravo, Danilo, Sterling, Gundogan, Mangala, Jesus, Toure

BURNLEY STARTING XI: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward; Arfield, Cork, Hendrick, Defour, Brady; Wood

BURNLEY SUBS: Gudmundsson, Bardsley, Westwood, Long, Taylor, Barnes, Lindegaard

What can we make of those two teams, then?

Well, just when you think Pep Guardiola might be starting to become predictable with his lineup, he switches things up again. The in-form pair of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus both drop to the bench this afternoon, despite Guardiola having named an unchanged side for three matches in a row across all competitions.

Fantasy football managers beware.

The only player in the Man City ranks able to match Sterling and Jesus's six goals each in the Premier League so far is Sergio Aguero, and the Argentine starts this afternoon having fully recovered from his broken rib.

Aguero had been an unused sub in his last two outings, but he starts this afternoon and is just one goal short of equalling Eric Brook as the club's all-time leading goalscorer. Aguero is currently on 176, and a brace this afternoon would see him right his name into the Man City record books.

© Offside

Sterling and Jesus are the only two players to lose their place from the midweek win over Napoli, with Bernardo Silva and Aguero coming into the starting XI.

Aside from that it is as you were for Pep Guardiola's side, with the immensely talented duo of De Bruyne and David Silva providing the ammunition for the likes of Aguero and Sane to do some real damage. It really is a frightening attacking lineup at City's disposal when you consider the bench too.

The defence remains untouched by Guardiola, and they have certainly set about proving their critics wrong so far this season with some very sturdy displays.

Sontes and Otamendi both seem to have far fewer weaknesses in their games now than they did last season, whereas Walker has fitted seamlessly in at right-back. Even Delph, who is something of an emergency left-back following Mendy's injury, has been very impressive so far this season.

The man charged with stopping that Manchester City backline today is Nick Pope, who is enjoying an extended run in the first team following the injury to Tom Heaton.

The back-up goalkeeper has impressed so far too, conceding just two goals during his 414 minutes on the pitch so far this season and registering a 91.7% save percentage - the highest of any Premier League goalkeeper this season.

The Clarets are once again unchanged in defence, and they have so far dealt with the loss of Michael Keane very well this season.

Tarkowski in particular has stepped up to the plate, while Mee - who was perhaps underappreciated alongside Keane last term - has continued his own fine form. Lowton and Ward continue on the flanks, and all four of the defence know that they will have to be at their best this afternoon if they are to stop this City side.

Indeed, it is an entirely unchanged XI from Sean Dyche this afternoon, with the Burnley boss keeping faith with the side that starting last weekend's clash with West Ham United.

That means starts for Arfield, Cork, Defour and Brady in midfield, with Hendrick expected to play just a little further forward in the number 10 role to give extra support for the striker.

Chris Wood leads the line for Burnley again today having settled into life well in the Premier League so far.

Wood was prolific in the Championship, and he comes into this match having scored in four of his last seven games for Burnley across all competitions too. The Man City defenders will have a handful dealing with him today, and he is the type of striker who can hold the ball up well to relieve the pressure Burnley are expected to come under today.

As impressive as Burnley have been so far, though, it is a daunting task for them today. Manchester City are in incredible form - the type of which we haven't seen in England for some time - with not just consistent victories but bagfuls of goals scored along the way.

City started last term in a similar way - if not quite as convincingly - so it is important to hold fire on proclaiming them as the champions elect this early in the season, but they have certainly established themselves as the early frontrunners.

City come into this match two points clear of Manchester United at the top of the table, having dropped only two points from their opening eight games of the season.

Guardiola's side are one of only two teams still unbeaten in the league this term - alongside again United - but it is their goalscoring exploits which have arguably been the most impressive aspect with 29 plundered in their opening eight outings.

We have known City have been good going forward for some time, but the main questions over their title credentials centre around their defensive capabilities.

It has been impressive on that front from City so far this season too, with just four goals conceded in their eight Premier League games and only Manchester United boasting a better defensive record. Guardiola's side crucially look a lot sturdier at the back nowadays, which only serves to validate their title hopes.

City coming into this match having won each of their last 10 games across all competitions, and the only blemish on their record throughout the entire season is a draw with Everton on August 21.

Victory today would see City equal their club record of 11 consecutive wins in all competitions, and there doesn't appear to be any sign of them slowing down either.

City's 22-point haul from their opening eight games equals their best ever start to a top-flight campaign, having also won seven and drawn one from their first eight games of the 2011-12 season.

That season famously ended with City winning the title with virtually the last kick of the season when Aguero fired home against Queens Park Rangers, and it could end up being another battle with local rivals Manchester United for top spot if the start of the campaign is anything to go by this time around.

Stretching back to last season City are now unbeaten in 18 games since their FA Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Arsenal, while you have to go back to April 5 for their last defeat in normal time.

It is 16 Premier League matches since they last lost, including 13 wins and three draws, while they have only suffered one defeat in their last six too. With six league wins on the bounce heading into this match, this is a City side in superb form.

To put City's start into some perspective, they are the first team since 1894-95 - more than 120 years ago - to score 29 goals in their opening eight league games, with Everton the last to do so. before them.

City would have to score 11 today if they are to equal the all-time nine-game record of 40 goals - held jointly by Sunderland of 1892-93 and Blackburn of 1889-90, but the fact we have to go that far back shows how impressive this City side are - helped of course by that 7-2 win over Stoke last weekend.

City could also today become only the third team in English football history to win four home games in a row by a margin of five or more goals, and they are unbeaten in their last 21 matches in front of their own fans.

Everything points to a Manchester City win today, then, and most people would certainly be backing that.

However, Burnley have been in good form themselves so far this season and will fancy their chances of stopping this City juggernaut in its tracks. Burnley are arguably as well equipped as any side to do that, and they have very recent history of upsetting the odds too.

The Clarets have already come away from Stamford Bridge, Wembley, Anfield and Goodison Park with good results this season, picking up a very impressive eight points from a possible 12 in that difficult run of away trips.

It does get easier for Burnley on the road after today, but incredibly despite such a difficult away start the Clarets have already picked up more points away from home this season than they did throughout the entirety of the 2016-17 campaign.

Burnley picked up just one win on the road last term, but they have already beaten Chelsea and Everton on their travels this term.

Indeed, despite their first five away matches of the season coming against teams who finished in the top seven last term - including today - they are unbeaten in their five matches on the road this season. Burnley heavily relied on their home form to keep them safe last season, but that doesn't look like being the case this time around.

Not that Burnley's home form has suffered as a result either - their tally of 13 points from their opening eight games is their best ever in the Premier League, and at the start of the weekend they were level on points with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea - although the latter have since moved clear with their win over Watford in the early kickoff.

No team has drawn more games in the Premier League this season, with half of Burnley's outings ending all square, but to be just two points off the top four after eight games is impressive for a team of their calibre.

Burnley come into this match unbeaten inside normal time since August 19, with their only defeat since them coming via a penalty shootout against Leeds in the EFL Cup.

Within normal time, though, they have won three and drawn five of their last eight matches since losing to West Brom in August - which remains their only defeat across all competitions so far this season.

Burnley are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games too, although they have drawn four of those - including three of their last four.

It is the club's best run in the top flight since February 1975, but if they manage to extend that unbeaten streak this afternoon then that would surely go down as the best result in the run. No-one looks capable of stopping City at the moment, but that is exactly the type of challenge Sean Dyche likes.

Incredibly, some bookmakers are giving odds of 30-1 on Burnley to win this afternoon, which makes them the longest odds of any team in Premier League history.

That is more a reflection on Manchester City's form, of course, but it is still harsh on Burnley - although they may relish the underdog status. They may also be inspired by the fact that the previous longest odds for a Premier League game were offered on Blackburn in 2011, and they ended up beating Manchester United 3-2 on that occasion.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Etihad Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction!

Despite those long odds on Burnley, and Man City's imperious form at the moment, I cannot see this being as emphatic a win for City as it may appear on first glance. I still expect the hosts to come away with another win, but rather than a huge margin I will go for a 2-0 win.

SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Man City 2-0 Burnley

Unsurprisingly, Manchester City have had the better of the recent meetings between these two sides, with Burnley picking up just one win in the last 16 editions of this fixture across all competitions.

That is a run which stretches back to 1974, when both clubs were in the second tier, and includes 10 Manchester City victories and five draws. In the Premier League alone, Burnley have won one, drawn two and lost three of their meetings with City.

The corresponding fixture last season ended 2-1 to Manchester City, with Clichy and Aguero on the scoresheet in quickfire fashion before Mee pulled one back for the Clarets.

That, however, was Burnley's first defeat at the hands of Man City in an away game since 2001, when Paulo Wanchope scored a hat-trick in a 5-1 victory for City at Maine Road.

Burnley do at least score against City, though. Today's hosts have not kept a clean sheet against the Clarets since August 1999 in a League Cup contest, with Burnley scoring in all eight meetings since then - including all six of their previous Premier League clashes.

City's last clean sheet in a league match against Burnley also came in 1999, when they ran out 6-0 winners in a third-tier clash.

Right, we're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff now so let's have a quick recap of the team news:

MAN CITY STARTING XI: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Delph; Fernandinho, Bernardo, Silva, De Bruyne, Sane; Aguero

BURNLEY STARTING XI: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward; Arfield, Cork, Hendrick, Defour, Brady; Wood

KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Man City get us underway at the Etihad!

Ben Mee sees his name in lights and, after just a few minutes, tries his luck from a long, long way out. He may have seen Ederson off his line, but he was nowhere close to executing what he was trying.

City have seen the majority of the ball, as you would expect, in this opening five minutes, but Burnley have settled into the game fairly well too. A solid start from the visitors.

SAVE! City come forward down the right flank before dipping inside and giving the ball to De Bruyne. The Belgian works space to get a shot away, but it is tame and an easy one for Pope to gather.

City are just so slick in possession. They move the ball so quickly, which makes it incredibly difficult to defend against even for a team as organised as Burnley. The visitors have coped fine so far, but City do look dangerous.

Burnley are struggling to make the ball stick at the moment, purely because they are being pushed so far back from City. Wood is already looking isolated up front.

Good defending from Mee, preventing a possible sticky situation for Burnley. Pope was in no-man's land as De Bruyne took the ball down well, but Mee slides in to ensure that a corner is the only damage.

That corner is played back to Delph, who goes for goal from range but it deflects over the crossbar.

CHANCE! The first big chance of the match falls to Burnley, and it is route one stuff. A big hoof forward from Cork is not dealt with by the Man City defence, allowing Wood to collect it. He holds off Walker before beating Otamendi to send him clean through on goal, but his touch just gets away from him.

Ederson is quick off his line to beat Wood to the ball, but he spills it initially and is a little fortunate to win a free kick when diving at the feet of Arfield seconds later.

Wood looks to have picked up an injury there, which would be a big blow for Burnley. It looks like it may be his hamstring, which suggests that his game could be over.

Wood has tried to carry on, but he is back down again now and needs some more treatment. It looks like his afternoon is over after less than 20 minutes. Big blow for Burnley.

BURNLEY SUB: Indeed, there is the change as Ashley Barnes replaces the injured Wood.

UPDATE: Only one of the other 3pm kickoffs this afternoon has seen a goal so far - and there have been two in quick succession for Bournemouth. They lead 2-0 at Stoke and look well on their way to a much-needed victory.

CHANCE! Man City finally create their first real chance of the contest, and it is one they really should have taken. Sane dances down the left channel and pulls the ball back for Bernardo Silva, but he fires his effort straight at Pope when he really should have scored.

Aside from that chance from Bernardo, Burnley have defended very well so far today. I have not mentioned Aguero's name so far, with the visitors doing a very good job of keeping the Argentine quiet.

UPDATE: Some news that I'm sure will delight Man City fans - Huddersfield have taken a shock lead against Manchester United through Aaron Mooy.

Elsewhere, Leicester now lead Swansea through a Fernandez own goal.

History for Aguero as he levels City's all-time leading goalscorer Eric Brook from the penalty spot!

The penalty itself is a harsh one as Bernardo Silva goes down inside the area - rather dramatically it must be said. Pope, having just thwarted De Bruyne from point-blank range, came out to get the ball off Bernardo, but the Man City winger got there first.

There isn't much contact at all, but Roger East has no doubt about it and points to the spot. Some handbags follow as Burnley accuse Bernardo of diving, but after all that Aguero makes no mistake by sending the keeper the wrong way.

Burnley will feel so hard done by there - they had defended really well and the penalty decision could have gone either way. Bernardo made the most of it, but it is one of the ones that would be unlikely to succeed if to went to the simulation panel.

UPDATE: As if taking the lead here wasn't good enough for City, the news is now filtering through that Manchester United are now 2-0 down against Huddersfield. City will be going five points clear as things stand.

Good goalkeeping from Ederson, who has been superb since his arrival in the Premier League. He comes out in commanding fashion to punch clear a free kick, getting another knock in the process. He certainly isn't worried about being in the wars.

At the other end Pope comes a long way out of his box this time, although Lowton takes charge and beats his own goalkeeper to the ball.

SHOT! Aguero is going in search of that record outright, but having got the better of Mee he then fires an effort across the face of goal and past the far post.

Mee seems to have picked up an injury from that collision now, but unlike Wood it looks like Mee will be able to continue. Burnley certainly won't want to lose him having already been forced into one early change.

Almost a chance for Burnley as De Bruyne's poor touch is picked off in a dangerous position, but Arfield's effort is well blocked. That is the danger of playing out from the back for City.

CHANCE! Another chance for Aguero to break the record, latching onto a through-ball from De Bruyne inside the area before drilling a low strike towards goal. The angle is against him, but it stills needs a good stop from Pope.

YELLOW CARD! Fernandinho goes into the book for a cynical challenge to stop Brady in his tracks.

There will be three added minutes at the end of this first half.

CHANCE! Pope is keeping Burnley in this one at the end of this first half! This is a similar stop with his feet as the one moments ago, again denying Aguero's hard low strike. The ball bounces out to Bernardo Silva, but Tarkowski throws himself in the way of it with a fine block.

The referee brings an end to the first half, and it is City who deservedly lead at the interval.

Burnley has applied themselves well and have not made things easy for City whatsoever, but City have created chances and finally made the breakthrough on the half-hour mark. Burnley will need to show more going forward in the second half if they are to get back into this one.

The only goal of the game so far came from the penalty spot, and it was an historic one for Sergio Aguero as he drew level with Eric Brook's all-time scoring record for City.

Aguero netted his 177th goal in City colours by sending the keeper the wrong way, although the penalty itself was controversial as Bernardo Silva went down softly inside the area. Pope came out to meet the winger but was late to the ball and Bernardo went down in dramatic fashion.

Referee Roger East pointed to the spot, but it was a soft one.

Aguero has come close to breaking the record and holding it outright on a couple of occasions, but Pope has so far denied the Argentine to adding to his tally with a couple of good saves with his feet.

Bernardo has also been denied by the Burnley keeper, and without Pope in such good form the Clarets may already be out of contention in this match.

Sean Dyche will still be relatively content with how his side have played so far, though. Man City have run riot against most teams at the Etihad in recent weeks, but it has not been so straightforward for them this time around.

Burnley have been organised, but suffered a blow when Wood went off injured and have struggled to make an impact at the sharp end of the field.

KICKOFF: Man City leave Burnley waiting for a little, but the visitors eventually get us underway for the second half.

UPDATE: Life after Craig Shakespeare is going well so far for Leicester - they now lead Swansea 2-0 through Shinji Okazaki.

City are threatening here, with Sane dribbling forward but running into a dead end. City fans want him to shoot but he instead tries to wriggle into a better position, allowing Burnley to close him down.

YELLOW CARD! Cork goes into the book for a word out of place when asking for a penalty. It was worth the shout as Delph hooked the ball against his own hand, but Roger East took exception to Cork's protests.

CHANCE! This should be a great chance for Burnley as Tarkowski finds space inside the area and should have a free header, but he cannot get anything on the ball. The blustery conditions must have played a part there.

UPDATE: Swansea have halved their deficit against Leicester, with Alfie Mawson making it 2-1 at the Liberty Stadium.

SHOT! Silva is given all the space in the world to carry the ball forward into shooting range, but unusually the Spaniard makes the wrong choice. He has teammates in support, but he chooses to go for goal and slices his effort well wide.

YELLOW CARD! Barnes goes into the book for leading with his arm when going up for an aerial challenge.

Good play from Silva as he steals possession to set off an attack, but Burnley once again regroup quickly and the attack ultimately comes to nothing as Sane's cross goes straight into the arms of Pope.

Less than half an hour remaining in this one now, and Burnley are still very much in this game. They are giving up the vast majority of the ball and not creating a great deal going forward, but City are also struggling to create chances.

Walker fizzes an enticing ball right across the face of goal which Aguero looks like he might get on the end of, but he appears to almost hold back when about to pull the trigger and a potential chance goes begging.

Good defending from Mee at his near post as he cuts out a low cross from De Bruyne. It looked for a moment as though he might skew that into his own net, but it was dealt with well.

UPDATE: Diouf has pulled one back for Stoke at home to Bournemouth, with the Potters now trailing 2-1 at the bet365 Stadium. Elsewhere, United are still losing 2-0 at Huddersfield.

This is by no means the most eye-catching Man City performance they have put in this season, but these are the types of games you need to win - often scraping a 1-0 - if you are to win the title.

BURNLEY SUB: Burnley make their second change of the afternoon as Hendrick is replaced by Johann Berg Gudmundsson.

City still look in complete control of this game as we head into the final 20 minutes, but Burnley really have applied themselves well. The visitors are still in this one.

CHANCE! Almost the second for City as Aguero slides a pass through to Sane, who in turn tries to feed it into the middle. The cross takes a deflection, but Silva is quick to pounce on it and hook an effort towards goal which Pope does well to push behind.

City do double their advantage as Otamendi rises highest in the area to nod the resulting corner home. Defour should have cleared it off the line, but it sneaked past him.

Man City have another! Two in as many minutes for the hosts, who can just blow teams away in the blink of an eye at the moment.

This is a thing of beauty too, with De Bruyne threading a beauty of a pass through for Sane, who cuts inside before curling his effort past Pope. Burnley were in this game two minutes ago, but now it is game over.

MAN CITY SUB: There will be no outright record today as Aguero is replaced by Gabriel Jesus. Things don't get any easier for Burnley.

MAN CITY SUB: Another change from the home side as Yaya Toure replaces Fernandinho.

MAN CITY SUB: Guardiola makes his third change as Ilkay Gundogan comes on in place of De Bruyne.

CHANCE! City are looking for more here, and they look capable of getting it too. Walker's cross into the middle is missed by Sane and Silva before eventually arriving to Jesus, who is denied by Pope from point-blank range.

BURNLEY SUB: The visitors make their third and final change as Ashley Westwood replaces Defour.

A three-goal losing margin is harsh on Burnley, it must be said. They have played well for the most part today, but this City side is just so clinical.

UPDATE: United have pulled a goal back against Huddersfield but are running out of time now, while Newcastle lead Crystal Palace 1-0 through a Merino strike.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.

CHANCE! Chance for a late fourth for City as Sane finds space inside the box, but he fires his effort wide of the far post when he should have done better.

The referee brings an end to this one as City continue their remarkable form with a 3-0 win over Burnley - their record-equalling 11th consecutive victory across all competitions.

Coupled with Manchester United's defeat at the hands of Huddersfield that sends City five points clear at the top of the Premier League table, but it is Sergio Aguero who will dominate the headlines on a day which saw him equal Eric Brook's all-time scoring record of 177 goals for the club.

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon!

Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's game as Manchester City move five-points clear at the top of the table on a record-equalling day for the club and striker Sergio Aguero. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.

From me, though, it is goodbye for now!