Manchester City will be looking to return to winning ways against relegation-threatened Bournemouth on Saturday night.
Manchester City will be looking to overturn a two-match winless streak when they make the trip to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth in what is expected to be a lopsided contest.
The reigning champions were pegged back to second in the Premier League table last week following a frustrating 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest, but Arsenal’s dramatic comeback victory at Villa Park saw them leapfrog the defending champions in the table.
They suffered a similar fate in Germany against RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday, as they were held back in the second half by a towering header from transfer target Josko Gvardiol to make it 1-1 after Riyad Mahrez put the Citizens ahead in the opening period.
While City have only lost one of their past eight games in all competitions, their recent away record leaves a lot to be desired, as they haven’t won five of their last six games on the road, conceding in each of their previous five.
City could trail the Gunners by five points by the time they face Bournemouth, with Mikel Arteta’s side travelling to Leicester City for an earlier kick-off. So there is no margin for error if Pep Guardiola’s side wants to close the gap on the league leaders.
As for Bournemouth, they registered their first win since before the World Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 away win over Wolves last weekend, which was a huge morale booster. However, this is no time for Gary O’Neil’s troops should not lose sight of the fact that they are currently 17th in the league, only one point ahead of relegation-zoned West Ham United.
The Citizens hammered the Cherries 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium when the two teams clashed in the reverse fixture back in August. Expect a similar outcome here. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
Final thoughts ahead of #BOUMCI 🎤 pic.twitter.com/0nDh4pISrY
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) February 24, 2023
A number of fitness concerns are dominating Bournemouth’s preparation for the visit of the reigning English champions, with question marks over Jordan Zemura and Marcus Tavernier’s availability, both of whom came off with injuries in the last match.
David Brooks and Lewis Cook continue to be sidelined, while Illia Zabarnyi has sustained a minor ankle issue and will have to be assessed late before this game. On the flip side, Lloyd Kelly and Junior Stanislas may both make their comebacks from injury here. Jefferson Lerma missed out with illness in the last game but should be fine to return here.
Gary O’Neil is unlikely to change his 4-2-3-1 formation from last weekend after earning a much-needed win. Jack Stephens will likely start alongside Marcos Senesi at the heart of the Bournemouth defence, with Kelly unlikely to be risked from the start.
Adam Smith and Jordan Zemura are the only full-backs at O’Neil’s disposal, and the duo pick themselves on the full-back slots, with Neto starting behind the back four. Philip Billing and Jefferson Lerma will form a dynamic double pivot in the middle of the park.
In attack, Marcus Tavernier will be a big miss. He has been in more Premier League goals this season than any other Bournemouth player (7: 3 goals, 4 assists). All of his seven involvements have come in his last four starts, so he was having a great purple patch.
Jaidon Anthony will reprise the left-winger role in Tavernier’s absence, with Ouattara typically remaining far wide down the right before unleashing his explosive pace to start cutting inside. Strong with both feet, Hamed Traorè has been an excellent pick for the Cherries from Sassuolo, and is a solid creator from set-piece situations. Meanwhile, Dominik Solanke will lead the line, hoping to snap his long-running goal-scoring drought.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Stephens, Senesi, Zemura; Billing, Lerma; Ouattara, Traore, Anthony; Solanke
Manchester City
John Stones continues to miss out with a thigh injury but is nearing his return. Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte were both absent due to illness in midweek. The Belgian playmaker has returned to the training, and should be available for this trip down to the south coast, but Laporte is still short of full fitness.
After a long spell using the 4-3-3 setup, we’ve seen a lot of experimentation from Pep Guardiola. Following the departure of Joao Cancelo and the lack of a left-back, the Catalan tactician has discarded the entire position and opted for a 3-2-4-1 system in recent matches, with mixed results.
This formation is difficult to prepare for owing to their fluidity and flexibility, especially as they may and do modify tactics when possession shifts. The players seem to be still adjusting to this new system, and Guardiola could stick with the same setup here.
"All the games will be so tough" – @PepTeam 💬#ManCity | @okx pic.twitter.com/8bl4vdQV1F
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 24, 2023
Ederson remains the mainstay number-one option between the sticks. And in front of him has usually been a back three with Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, and Nathan Ake. Bernardo Silva and Rodri will operate as the defensive midfield pairing.
This new system is built to help Haaland by enabling Kevin De Bruyne to pick up small spaces in advanced areas where he then looks for the striker, inevitably making a sharp dart.
Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, and Ilkay Gundogan also operate behind the Norwegian hitman, making it difficult for the opposition to track from where the service into Haaland will arrive. Of course, all of the aforementioned is based on tactical theory. But things have yet to click in terms of team chemistry and high-volume chance generation.
Aside from Haaland, Riyad Mahrez has been City’s most productive attacker this season, having contributed with four goals and three assists post the World Cup. The Algerian looks to have found his magical touch after making a poor start to the season, and will look to set up Haaland, who has been struggling to get on the scoresheet lately.
Probable Lineup (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake; Rodri, Bernardo; Mahrez, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland
Key Stats
- Manchester City have won all 11 of their Premier League meetings against Bournemouth, the best 100% win record in the competition’s history.
- Bournemouth have scored fewer goals than any other team since the Premier League action resumed after the World Cup break (3). In fact, they have failed to score in 12 Premier League games this season.
- Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson has preserved 99 clean sheets in 206 Premier League appearances, with only Petr Cech (180) and Pepe Reina (198) reaching 100 in fewer appearances than the Brazilian if he keeps a shutout here.
- Erling Haaland has scored 26 Premier League goals this campaign, five more than the entire Bournemouth team. Francis Lee was the last Manchester City player to score more than once in a single Premier League season (33).
- Bournemouth’s defence has been leaky and shipped 44 goals this season, the most in the division.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
Manchester City’s superstar goal-getter missed several golden chances away at Nottingham Forest last time out, which came back to bite him as City only managed a point. He also fired a blank against RB Leipzig, extending his goalless record to two games, a genuine goal drought in Haaland’s world.
With that in mind, The Hard Tackle expects a big performance from the Norwegian hitman, who has already etched his name in Premier League history with 26 goals in his debut season. He will be looking to make up the lost ground for his poor finishing in the recent games. And the shaky Bournemouth defence could have their hands full trying to contain him.
Prediction
Bournemouth 0-3 Manchester City
Unless Bournemouth spring up an unlikely surprise with a defensive masterclass, Manchester City are the clear favourites to win this clash. The Premier League champions have a history of coming back stronger on the back of disappointing results. And going winless in two is certainly not building on a great result against league leaders Arsenal earlier this month.
Bournemouth will line up a deep defensive block. But in the face of Manchester City’s relentless attacking waves, they too will likely fall. Expect England’s dominant force to brush aside this toothless Gary O’Neil side, and fans can also see plenty of goals being scored in this one-way traffic.
