Bournemouth vs Manchester City

February 24, 2024

Bournemouth welcome defending champions Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday evening, 24 February 2024.

Manchester City have never lost to the south coast outfit and face a Bournemouth side winless in six top-flight matches.

Pep Guardiola's side extended their 14-game winning run against Bournemouth with a 6-1 victory at the Etihad in November.

Bournemouth Betting Preview (+600 at Everygame)

The Cherries remain winless in their last six Premier League matches but it was a valuable point on their trip to Newcastle last weekend.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth are doing well in the FA Cup as they will host Leicester City in the fifth round on Tuesday night. First of all, they will hope to claim their first league victory of 2024, with their most recent league win taking place against Fulham (3-0) on Boxing Day.

Andoni Iraola's future was under serious question after his side's trip to Manchester earlier in the campaign as Bournemouth suffered a devastating 6-1 loss at the Etihad on 4 November. It was their seventh defeat in the opening 11 games (with just one victory) and the Spanish manager needed something exceptional to cool down the pressure.

?fter the heavy defeat at Manchester City, Bournemouth suddenly elevated their game to record a seven-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, winning six of them.

However, with three points from their past six top-flight games (0-3-3), the Dorset outfit are only eight points off the relegation zone yet with a game in hand. Andoni Iraola's men are still searching for the sustained improvement that will get them away from trouble in the final third of the campaign.

Eight points is a lot, that's true, but Bournemouth have a postponed match against Luton Town, who are also fighting tooth and nail to save their Premier League status.

Dominic Solanke scored his 14^th league goal of the season and the 26-year-old forward will hope to boost his chances for a potential England call-up ahead of Euro 2024.

Solanke is enjoying a remarkable campaign and he's sitting behind the likes of Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah in the Premier League scoring charts.

With Phillip Billing set to serve the final of his three-game suspension, Alex Scott should once again start in an advanced midfield role.

Elsewhere, the Bournemouth boss has revealed that midfielder Romain Faivre is available for selection after missing the match against Newcastle due to illness, but the likes of Max Aarons, Ryan Fredericks and Tyler Adams are all sidelined.

Manchester City Betting Preview (-250 at Everygame)

Contrary to the expectations, Pep Guardiola's side were forced to sweat for their 1-0 home victory over Brentford on Tuesday night. It was a much-needed win as Manchester City returned to winning ways following a disappointing 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad last weekend.

Erling Haaland scored a crucial winner 19 minutes from time as Manchester City eventually broke Brentford's stubborn resistance to close within a point of the Premier League summit prior to Liverpool's 4-1 home win over Luton Town on Wednesday night. The gap between the reigning champions and the current leaders is at four points right now but City can once again close it if they extend their 16-game unbeaten run.

It was Haaland's 22^nd goal of the season (17^th in the league) and means the Norwegian has now scored against every Premier League opponent he has faced since he joined Pep Guardiola's side.

Kevin De Bruyne remained an unused substitute against Bournemouth in midweek and the Belgian international should start on the south coast, only if he's fully fit. Guardiola will not take risks with his playmaker, who is not injured but "he didn’t feel comfortable” - the Man City boss has revealed.

Oscar Bobb was elevated to the starting XI (his first league start) against the Bees in the absence of Grealish and De Bruyne, but Jeremy Doku is in line to return to the starting line-up at Bournemouth.

Elsewhere, Manchester City are set to be without Josko Gvardiol and Jack Grealish due to respective ankle and muscle injuries, although the pair are “closer” to a return, according to Pep Guardiola.

Still, Guardiola is unlikely to make wholesale changes, however, with Nathan Ake, Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes all pushing for starts on Saturday.

Possible Starting Lineups of Bournemouth and Manchester City

Bournemouth: Neto - Adam Smith, Illya Zabarnyi, Marcos Senesi, Lloyd Kelly - Lewis Cook, Ryan Christie - Antoine Semenyo, Alex Scott, Marcus Tavernier - Dominic Solanke. (4-2-3-1)

Manchester City: Ederson - Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Kyle Walker - Rodri, Bernardo Silva - Jeremy Doku, Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden - Erling Haaland. (4-2-3-1)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

With 18 wins and two draws in their competitive meetings against Bournemouth, the treble-winners are favorites for a reason.

Bournemouth have lost all of their meetings with Manchester City in the Premier League as the Cityzens are on a 14-game winning streak against the Cherries in all competitions (13 in the Premier League).

Yet, Bournemouth have scored in five of their last six matches against Pep Guardiola's side and the South Coast club will be looking to finally break their winless record against Man City.

Can the hosts pull off a surprise result at the Vitality Stadium this weekend? We don't think so, Manchester City are too powerful for them, but they can also concede.

Spooky Express Free Play: Outcome And Both To Score - Manchester City and Yes +155 at Everygame for 5/10 Units

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