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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 33
Manchester City v Luton Town
Etihad Stadium
Manchester, England
Saturday, 13 April 2024
Kick-off is at 16h00
Premier League title hopefuls Manchester City will be keen to keep the momentum going when they host relegation-threatened Luton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, April 13.
The Citizens battled back from an early goal down to beat Crystal Palace 4-2 at Selhurst Park on April 6 to stay in touch with title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool in third place.
Pep Guardiola's side extended their unbeaten run to 16 games as they maintained the one-point gap to the Gunners, who reclaimed top spot with a 3-1 victory over Brighton at the Amex on April 6.
The Reds slipped to second position on goal difference after they dropped points in a 2-2 draw with fierce rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on April 7.
The Hatters gave their survival hopes a massive shot in the arm courtesy of a 2-1 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on April 6.
Rob Edwards' side halted a 10-match winless sequence as they went level with Nottingham Forest (17th) on 25 points, with only goal difference keeping them in the drop zone.
Sheffield United remain rooted to the foot of the table on 16 points after playing out to a 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Bramall Lane on April 7, while Burnley are only three clear of them in 19th spot after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park one day earlier.
Image copyright: Getty Images
In team news, Nathan Ake (calf) is the only confirmed absentee for the hosts, who could welcome back Kyle Walker (thigh) and Josko Gvardiol. the visitors have no such luck as they remain without Tom Lockyer (heart condition), Marvelous Nakamba, Jacob Brown, Gabriel Osho (all knee), Dan Potts, Amari'i Bell, Elijah Adebayo, Chiedozie Ogbene, Albert Sambi Lokonga (all thigh) and Mads Andersen (calf).
Guardiola reserved special praise for Kevin De Bruyne, who chalked up the 100th goal of his City career in the comeback win against the Eagles.
"Without him we would not be able to win this. You talk about managers but players like Kevin make this game easy," the Spaniard declared.
"He has been one of the best players in the history of City. To sustain this for nine years at City, and have that consistency is amazing. The first goal is unbelievable. The assist is unbelievable. Really good.
"Mentally for sure [Kevin is fresh]. Kevin is like everyone, on the bus in the locker room and laugh. The body language dictates a lot how he is. All the players, especially Kevin, hopefully they can sustain it - 100 goals is a lot and a lot of assists too. Really good."
Edwards admits the relegation scrap is energy-sapping and hailed a "big" result against the Cherries which has kept them in the fight to avoid the drop.
"I'm quite drained. It's been a tough period and it's going to continue to be that way," he said. "It feels great. It's hard to win a Premier League game, especially for us.
"We've got to find more in the remaining games. We put pressure on the lads after [losing against] Tottenham and Arsenal, but I thought we deserved it. We showed character and quality after going 1-0 down.
"It's big. It's hard at the moment with the number of key players missing. But that's why I love those lads in there. They've given us everything, they've tried so hard.
"Just because we've won the game today, we're not out of it, clearly. There's a long, long way to go, but we're still in the fight."
Head-to-Head (Previous Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 1
Man City wins - 1
Luton wins - 0
Draws - 0
Premier League Matchday 33 fixtures:
Saturday, April 13
13h30: Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
16h00: Brentford v Sheffield United
16h00: Burnley v Brighton & Hove Albion
16h00: Manchester City v Luton Town
16h00: Nottingham Forest v Wolverhampton Wanderers
18h30: Bournemouth v Manchester United
Sunday, April 14
15h00: Liverpool v Crystal Palace
15h00: West Ham United v Fulham
17h30: Arsenal v Aston Villa
Monday, April 15
21h00: Chelsea v Everton
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