Manchester City will host Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, looking to produce positive performance at home.
Manchester City are coming into the game against Bournemouth on the back of four wins from the last five matches across all competitions, and they will be firm favourites to pick up all three points.
The reigning Premier League champions managed to pick up a comprehensive 3-0 win over Manchester United in the Manchester derby last weekend, and they will be confident of grinding out an easy win at home.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth have lost four of their last five matches across all competitions, including the midweek defeat against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. It remains to be seen whether they can bounce back strongly and pull off an upset here.
Manchester City are undoubtedly the better team, but they have shown vulnerability this season. It remains to be seen whether the Cherries can exploit that and grind out a memorable result here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘
🆚 Bournemouth
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⤵️ Watch live— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 3, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
The home side will be without Kevin De Bruyne, who is ruled out until January with a thigh injury. But Manuel Akanji is available again after serving a suspension last weekend.
Manchester City are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Ederson Moraes in goal. Kyle Walker and Josko Gvardiol will be deployed as the full-backs. The two players will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Ruben Dias will start at the heart of the defence alongside John Stones.
AS for the midfield unit, Rodri will start alongside Bernardo Silva. While the Spanish international will look to break up the opposition attacks, Silva will look to add creativity and control to the side from the middle of the park.
Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku will be deployed in the wide areas. The youngsters will look to add creativity, flair and pace to the Manchester City attack. Finally, Erling Haaland will lead the line for Manchester City, with Julian Alvarez behind him as the central attacking midfielder.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Gvardiol; Silva, Rodri; Foden, Alvarez, Doku; Haaland
Bournemouth
The away side will be without Tyler Adams, who will return to action in February following his thigh injury. Ryan Fredericks is still nursing his calf injury, and he will return to action later this month. Meanwhile, Neto and Emiliano Marcondes are ruled out with ankle injuries and they will return to action later this month.
Lewis Cook is suspended after his red card and Darren Randolph remains sidelined with illness. The Cherries are likely to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Andrei Radu taking his between the sticks.
In the back three, Illia Zabarnyi will start alongside Marcos Senesi and Lloyd Kelly. Max Aarons and James Tavernier will be deployed as the wing-backs and they will look to protect the central defenders and contribute during counterattacks.
Philip Billing will start in the midfield alongside Joe Rothwell. The two players will look to add physicality and defensive cover to the side. Alex Scott and Antoine Semenyo will act as the attacking midfielders, and they will look to drift out wide from time to time. Finally, Dominic Solanke will lead the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Radu; Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kelly; Aarons, Billing, Rothwell, Tavernier; Scott, Semenyo; Solanke
Key Stats
- Manchester City have won 20 of their last 24 matches in the Premier League.
- Manchester City have won their last 13 matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
- Bournemouth are winless in nine of their last 10 Premier League matches.
- 20 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Bournemouth have conceded 21 goals in 10 Premier League matches this season.
Key Player
Erling Haaland
"Erling has all his career ahead of him, so he has to continue winning and say, OK, maybe next season I can be there.'"
Pep Guardiola insists that Erling Haaland is happy despite missing out on the Ballon d'Or to Lionel Messi 🏆 pic.twitter.com/MtNAdYOUOa
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 3, 2023
The 23-year-old Manchester City striker is in fine form right now, and he will look to add to his scoring tally here. Haaland has 11 goals in ten Premier League matches and he has found the back of the net seven times in his last five outings for club and country.
The Norwegian international is in red-hot form, and he will cause all sorts of problems for a vulnerable Bournemouth defence. Expect Haaland to run riot at the Etihad against the minnows of Premier League football.
Prediction
Manchester City 3-0 Bournemouth
Manchester City are full of confidence heading into this game and they will look to pick up a comprehensive victory at home. They have a phenomenal head-to-head record against Bournemouth in recent years and will be confident of grinding out all three points here.
The Cherries have been quite vulnerable defensively and they will struggle against the likes of Erling Haaland. The away side will look to put up a fight here. But the gulf in class between the two sides is immense and a comfortable home is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.