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

Former Manchester City captain Kyle Walker has sent a stern warning to his former teammates ahead of the reunion with his previous employers on Wednesday night.

The encounter carries seismic implications at both ends of the table as the Premier League enters its final month, with City arriving in Lancashire invigorated by Sunday’s 2-1 triumph over Arsenal.

That result slashed the Gunners’ lead to just three points at the top of the Premier League table, and placed the destiny of the top-flight crown back into Pep Guardiola and his players’ hands.

Conversely, the atmosphere at Turf Moor is one of grim determination, with Burnley sitting second-from-bottom, 13 points adrift of safety, and knowing that a defeat tonight could officially extinguish their top-flight status.

For Kyle Walker, who traded Manchester for Burnley during the last summer transfer window, the mission is to seriously damage his former club’s title hopes in the name of professional pride.

“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.”

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.