- Man City has won all six of its PL matches against AFC Bournemouth, scoring 21 goals and conceding only two.
- Raheem Sterling could become the first Premier League player to score in his first six appearances against a club, having scored in five previous against Bournemouth.
- AFC Bournemouth is yet to lose a PL away match against the reigning champions, as the Cherries won at Chelsea in both 2015/16 and 2017/18 and drew at Leicester City in 2016/17.
Manchester City looks to join elite company with a result this weekend as it takes on AFC Bournemouth on Saturday (Watch live at 10 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com). With a win or a draw, Manchester City would become just the third team to have three-or-more runs of 20-games unbeaten in the Premier League, an impressive feat.
On the other side, Bournemouth has fallen back to earth somewhat in the past few weeks, with three straight defeats. However, Eddie Howe‘s side is still in the top-ten and has history behind them, with good results on the road against recent reigning champions.
Man City did suffer a slight blow in the run up to this match. Kevin De Bruyne was looking to make his return once again from the sidelines in time for Saturday’s game, but now it looks like he’ll be out a further week. Gabriel Jesus, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva will all undergo fitness tests on Friday to see whether they’re ready to face the Cherries.
What they’re saying
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on whether he will rotate his squad this weekend: “Maybe [I will make changes], yeah, because it was a really tough game. The Champions League is always there and after this game we have another in three days and everybody deserves to play and will play.”
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe on his approach to facing Manchester City: “Let’s wait and see. We like to think we’re adaptable and can make changes when necessary. We treat each game individually so we’ll try to come up with a plan that nullifies Man City’s strengths as best as we can while still maintaining a threat. We know it will be hard and City are the side we’ve struggled the most against, but I see the game more as a positive challenge than a negative one.”
Prediction
Manchester City continues to play well, even with some key injuries, while Bournemouth’s defense has begun to show signs of weaknesses. For the second week in a row, Bournemouth score and keep it close, but the talent of Man City leads it over the top. Man City 2-1 Bournemouth
