On the back of a perfect derby win at Old Trafford last weekend, Manchester City welcome AFC Bournemouth to the Etihad with their eyes set on three successive Premier League wins.
Bournemouth will be looking to build on their first league win of the season which came last week against fellow strugglers Burnley.
Here is all of the key information ahead of Saturday’s game.
Man City vs Bournemouth – Premier League Match Preview
Form
Manchester City: WLWWW
Since their blip in form about a month ago, the champions have restored normal order, winning four of their last five games in all competitions.
Having maintained a 100% start in the UEFA Champions League group stage after three matches, City are also looking strong domestically, sitting just two points behind league leaders Tottenham.
The Blues’ most recent three matches all ended in impressive victories over Brighton, Young Boys and fierce rivals Manchester United.
This spell of good form has unsurprisingly occurred after the reintroduction of Rodri. Pep Guardiola’s star midfielder recently served a three-game suspension but instantly improved the side upon his return.
Setting the standards, he and John Stones were at the heart of a peerless performance at Old Trafford, in which the treble winners were vastly superior to their opponents. With a brace, Erling Haaland took his goal tally up to 11 atop the league’s goalscoring charts.
Taking a look at the league leaders through 🔟 weeks…@ErlingHaaland is still on top in the Golden Boot race 💪 pic.twitter.com/x5gtG9OKHR
— Premier League USA (@PLinUSA) November 1, 2023
AFC Bournemouth: LLLWL
Prior to the beginning of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, many had tipped Bournemouth for bright things under promising Spanish manager Andoni Iraola.
Despite defeats to Liverpool and Spurs early in the season, the Cherries picked up points against West Ham, Brentford and Chelsea.
But a streak of four consecutive defeats followed in which the south coast side scored just twice.
However, a late Philip Billing goal saw the club earn a huge win in a relegation six-pointer against Burnley last week, lifting Iraola’s men outside the relegation zone.
Having crashed out of the Carabao Cup in midweek at the hands of Liverpool, Bournemouth can now concentrate on their survival fight.
With matches against Sheffield United and Luton Town in the not too distant future, any points elsewhere would be huge for the Cherries. But hopes won’t be too high, facing the in-form champions.
Last Meeting
AFC Bournemouth 1-4 Manchester City, February 25th 2023
These sides last met in February, where City completed the double over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, accumulating an 8-1 aggregate scoreline.
Gary O’Neil’s Cherries were no match for a slick City side, whose attacking firepower was far too great for their opponents to match.
First half goals from Julian Alvarez, Haaland and Phil Foden put the Blues firmly in the driving seat before Alvarez forced a Chris Mepham own goal to complete the rout.
Jefferson Lerma’s late strike was merely a consolation, as Guardiola’s men maintained a 100% record against Bournemouth, dating back 13 games to 2015.
Predicted Lineups
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Aké; Rodri, Kovacic, Bernardo; Foden, Alvarez, Haaland.
AFC Bournemouth:Â Radu; Aarons, Mepham, Zabarnyi, Kelly; Scott, Billing, Semenyo, Christie, Tavernier; Solanke.
Who is the referee?
Craig Pawson.
Is Man City vs Bournemouth on TV?
UK and Ireland: There is no live broadcast of the fixture in the UK and Ireland. You can listen to the game on BBC Radio 5 Live.
USA: NBC Sports
What time is kick-off?
Saturday, 4th November, 15:00 GMT
Odds
Manchester City – 1/10
Draw – 10/1
AFC Bournemouth – 18/1