Manchester City will travel to the Vitality Stadium to take on Bournemouth, looking to boost their title hopes with an away win.
A win over Bournemouth can help Manchester City cut the gap to the top of the table to one point, considering Liverpool are not playing this weekend, although both teams would have played as many games as each other.
Manchester City have a formidable record against Bournemouth, winning their last six meetings against Saturday’s opposition. Meanwhile, Bournemouth are 13th in the league table, and they are going through a disappointing run of form.
The home side are winless in the last six league matches, and they will be the underdogs heading into this contest. It will be interesting to see if the Cherries can bounce back strongly and dent Manchester City’s hopes with a positive performance at home.
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
The home team will be without the services of Tyler Adams (hamstring), Ryan Fredericks (calf), Max Aarons (hamstring), and James Hill (ankle). Philip Billing will serve the final game of a three-match suspension here.
The Cherries are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Neto in goal. Adam Smith and Lloyd Kelly will be deployed as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact defensively and help out during counter-attacks. Illia Zabarnyi will start alongside Marcos Senesi at the heart of the defence.
Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie will start in the midfield, and the two players will look to protect the central defenders and break up Manchester City attacks. Antoine Semenyo and Marcus Tavernier will be deployed in the wide areas.
The two players will look to create counter-attacking opportunities with their pace and flair from the flanks. Alex Scott will start as the central attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for the home team by linking up with central striker Dominic Solanke.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kelly; Cook, Christie; Semenyo; Scott, Tavernier; Solanke
Manchester City
The away side will be without Jack Grealish (muscle) and Josko Gvardiol (ankle) due to their respective injuries. They are likely to shape up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Ederson Moraes in goal.
Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake will start as the full-backs. They will look to protect the central defenders and help out in the attack as well. John Stones will form the central defensive pairing alongside Ruben Dias.
Rodri will continue in the defensive midfield role, and he will look to mop up the opposition attacks and protect the Manchester City defence. Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku will start in the wide areas, and they will look to open up the home defence with their flair, movement and link up play.
Julian Alvarez and Kevin De Bruyne will start as the attacking midfielders. The two players will look to open up the defence with their passing and movement. Erling Haaland will lead the line for Manchester City.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Ake; Rodri; Foden, De Bruyne, Alvarez, Doku; Haaland
Key Stats
- Manchester City have picked up five wins and a draw from their last six league matches.
- Bournemouth fails to win any of their last six league matches.
- Bournemouth have conceded 16 goals in their last six matches across all competitions.
- Manchester City have won their last 14 matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
- Manchester City have scored at least four goals in their last three matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
The 23-year-old Manchester City striker will cause all sorts of problems for the home team with his clinical finishing and presence in and around the box. The Norwegian international has 17 goals in 20 league appearances, and he will look to get on the score sheet once again. Bournemouth have been conceding goals freely in the last few matches, and they will struggle against Erling Haaland.
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-3 Manchester City
Manchester City are undoubtedly the better team here, and they will be expected to pick up a comprehensive victory. They are far better in terms of quality and form. The home team are currently lacking in confidence and momentum.
Bournemouth are likely to fall short against Manchester City. Their defensive form has been worrisome in recent weeks, and they are up against the most potent attack in the country. A comfortable away win is on the cards for Manchester City.
