Kyle Walker sends stern warning to Manchester City ahead of Burnley showdown

“No Red Carpet” – Kyle Walker on stopping Guardiola’s machine

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Wednesday night’s clash at Turf Moor, the former Manchester City captain insisted that he and his teammates in Claret can cause a significant twist in the tale of the Premier League title race.

“I think anyone can be stopped in a one-off 90 minutes,” Walker insisted, when asked whether Pep Guardiola’s machine can be stopped, despite their impressive recent form. “We need to go and make a [good showing] of ourselves as Burnley Football Club, but they also need to go and show why they’re playing for Manchester City.”

The veteran full-back continued, “It’s not going to be a red carpet rolled out for them at Turf Moor. We need to make it ugly, make the game our game, and make sure that we can put a holt to the waves of attack that are going to be coming at our end…

“I know what they’re saying in that dressing room, ‘Foot to the floor now, we can smell Arsenal, keep the pressure on’. I’ve seen both sides of the coin. I can assure you it’s a very difficult position to be in; I’ve got a lot of friends there.

“But I have my Burnley cap on, and I have to be a professional.”

Kyle Walker admits he would swap Manchester City treble for England winner’s medal

Continuing to in-house media at Turf Moor, Kyle Walker said of the meeting with Manchester City, “We have a job to do. No matter the result, no matter whatever, we need to make sure we can walk off that pitch proud, and the fans can get behind us and clap us off being proud for the performance we put on. It’s going to be tough, we know, but it’s not impossible.”

How Man City can reclaim No.1 spot tonight

Should Manchester City navigate a Kyle Walker-led defence, they will move to 78 points – level with Arsenal but ahead on the first tie-breaker.

This potential ascent to the summit would represent a significant turnaround in the race for the title, considering Mikel Arteta’s side held a commanding nine-point advantage as recently as mid-March.

However, Pep Guardiola must manage his resources carefully with an FA Cup semi-final against Southampton looming on Saturday at Wembley, and with both Rodri and Ruben Dias currently sidelined through injury.