TEAM NEWS
Kevin de Bruyne, Benjamin Mendy and Claudio Bravo remain sidelined. Manchester City will assess Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus, all of whom missed Tuesday’s draw in Lyon due to minor injuries.
Dan Gosling is doubtful for Bournemouth after hurting his knee against Arsenal, although the problem is not thought to be serious. Fellow midfielder Jefferson Lerma is suspended after accumulating five yellow cards.
MOTD COMMENTATOR’S NOTES
@SteveBowercomm: Bruno Genesio may have given all coaches a small ray of hope in midweek, with Lyon’s tactics helping them produce another impressive Champions League display against Manchester City.
It’s only a tiny ‘might’ though, and Eddie Howe won’t be feeling any more comfortable ahead of City’s return to domestic action.
The Bournemouth boss has to prepare to face a team that has scored 40 goals already after 13 games and conceded only once from open play. Ominously, the champions now have no significant European distractions until February.
Despite three successive defeats, Bournemouth has had a very encouraging campaign so far and their season won’t be defined by the ultimate Premier League test.
VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: “When we are not able to win the games, people will say we cannot keep the standard but we have been at the same level for the last 15 months so I don’t have any reason to think we will not be who we are.
“That doesn’t mean a win or lose but the way we approach the games, I don’t see any signals to see we are not going to try and be who we are.”
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe: “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.
“It isn’t damage limitation for us, but it is an opportunity to create a historic moment for the football club and to do our best in the game.
“Our record doesn’t sound great but I think that is for most teams going to Manchester City in recent seasons. “But every time we have gone there we have really grown and learnt from the experiences, although they have been painful.”
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
Bournemouth have lost three games on the bounce and a trip to Etihad Stadium is the last thing you need when you are trying to find some form.
At least it will be out of the way after this weekend, though. That is the way a lot of teams will view this fixture because they will not expect to get anything out of it.
Prediction: 3-0
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Manchester City have won the six previous Premier League encounters, scoring 21 times and conceding just twice.
- Bournemouth have never beaten City in a competitive game (D2, L10).
- The Cherries have conceded 13 times in their three previous trips to the Etihad Stadium, losing 5-1 on their first visit in 2015 and 4-0 in subsequent matches there in 2016 and 2017.
Manchester City
- Manchester City have conceded just one Premier League goal from open play this season, scored by Newcastle’s DeAndre Yedlin on 1 September.
- City are unbeaten in their last 19 league games (W16, D3), conceding just eight goals during this run.
- They are also undefeated in their last 35 league matches which have kicked off at 3pm on a Saturday, winning 31 of those games.
- City have yet to concede in the final half hour of a Premier League match this season, and are the only club who have not lost any points from winning positions.
- Raheem Sterling has scored in all five of his Premier League games against Bournemouth, netting seven goals in total.
- Sterling can become the first player in Premier League history to score in his first six appearances against a particular club.
- All but one of Sergio Aguero’s last 19 Premier League goals have been scored at home.
Bournemouth
- Bournemouth have beaten the reigning champions three times in six Premier League games since promotion to the top flight in 2015. Only Manchester City, with five wins, have a better record in this period.
- They have suffered three successive league defeats, all by a 2-1 scoreline.
- The Cherries have lost four consecutive Premier League games on three occasions, most recently at the start of the 2017-18 season. All of those losing sequences included a defeat against Manchester City.
- They have lost their last six games against established top-six opposition. Their last win in such a fixture was the 3-0 victory away to Chelsea in January.
Source: BBC News
