Manchester City are currently sixth in the Premier League table, and they will look to close the gap to the table-topping Arsenal with a victory vs Bournemouth at home on Sunday evening.
The Citizens are coming into this game on the back of a defeat in their last Premier League outing against Aston Villa. It remains to be seen whether they can bounce back strongly. However, there was some good news in the EFL Cup, as City clinched a 3-1 victory over Swansea City in the fourth round.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth are in impressive form right now, and they are second in the Premier League table. The Cherries have lost just one of their nine Premier League matches, and they will look to pull off an upset here.
Manchester City have an outstanding record against Bournemouth, and they have won five of the last six meetings between the two teams. Pep Guardiola’s men will be the favourites to pick up all three points despite their slip-up last weekend.
Despite the fact that the Cherries are in impressive form right now, this will be a difficult outing for them. It will be interesting to see if they are up for the challenge. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Rodri remains sidelined for the home side here. However, there is some positive news, as Erling Haaland is fit and available after recovering from a knock. Manchester City will shape up in their usual 4-1-4-1 formation vs Bournemouth, with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal.
Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly will start as the full-backs. They will help out at both ends of the pitch. Ruben Dias will start alongside Josko Gvardiol at the heart of the Manchester City defence.
As for the midfield unit, Nico Gonzalez will start at the base of the midfield, and he will look to dictate the tempo of the game from the deep. Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden will start as the advanced midfielders. They will add creativity to the side.
Savinho and Jeremy Doku will add pace, flair and goals from the flanks, with Erling Haaland leading the line for Manchester City vs Bournemouth at the Etihad on Sunday evening.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gonzalez; Doku, Reijnders, Foden, Savinho; Haaland
Andoni Iraola will be without two first-team players this weekend. Enes Unal is sidelined with a knee injury, and David Brooks is struggling with a hamstring issue. However, there is some good news, as Evanilson is fit and available to take on Manchester City
Bournemouth will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Manchester City, with Djordje Petrovic in goal. James Hill and Adrien Truffert will start as the two full-backs. They will look to keep things tight defensively and hit Manchester City on the counter. Bafode Diakite will start alongside Marcos Senesi in the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Alex Scott will start alongside Tyler Adams in the double pivot. They will look to protect the team defensively and keep things compact in the middle. Marcus Tavernier will reprise the central attacking midfield role, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack.
Antoine Semenyo and Ben Doak will start on the flanks, adding goals and creativity from the wide areas. Finally, Eli Junior Kroupi will spearhead the Bournemouth attack vs Manchester City this weekend.
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Petrovic, Hill, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Doak, Tavernier, Semenyo; Kroupi
The Manchester City striker is in impressive form right now, and he will look to find a way past the Bournemouth defence. The Cherries have done quite well this season, but they have conceded 11 goals in nine Premier League matches.
Haaland could cause all sorts of problems for the away side with his movement and finishing ability. The 25-year-old failed to score for just the second time in the Premier League this season in the 1-0 loss to Aston Villa last week, and he will be eager to bounce back.
Meanwhile, of the 23 sides the Norwegian striker has faced in the competition, only against Newcastle Unitd (447) does he have a worse minutes-per-goal average than he does against Bournemouth, netting just once in 439 minutes against the Cherries.
Manchester City will need Haaland to step up and produce a strong performance so that they can grind out all three points. The Norwegian international is in red-hot form, and he should be able to find the back of the net here.
The visitors will look to make life difficult for Manchester City here, and they are likely to put up a strong fight. Bournemouth are a quality team, and they are in impressive form right now. However, the gulf in class between the two teams is quite significant.
Manchester City are one of the best teams in the world, and they have quality players at their disposal. The hosts have the attacking depth to expose Bournemouth here. The home team should be able to pick up a comfortable victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Pep Guardiola and his charges.
