Bournemouth clinched their first win of the 2019-20 Premier League campaign last weekend following their 2-1 win over newcomers Aston Villa at the Villa Park.
The Cherries have collected four points from their two league outings so far but their mettle is set to be tested to the limit on Sunday as they are scheduled to host Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium in Matchweek 3.
Bournemouth Team News
Due to injuries, Eddie Howe will be bereft of the services of many of his key men. Lewis Cook is back in training following his long-term knee injury. However, he is still some way off from a return to action for his side.
Moreover, Dan Gosling, David Brooks, Simon Francis, Lloyd Kelly, Junior Stanislas, and Arnaut Danjuma are sidelined owing to their injury and will not be available for selection against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Predicted Bournemouth Lineup To Face Manchester City (4-4-1-1)
Defence
Aaron Ramsdale could get the nod to start between the sticks once again, ahead of Asmir Begovic, Artur Boruc, and Mark Travers. He will have to be ready for a busy 90 minutes and a special display will be needed if the hosts are to take anything from the game.
Nathan Ake and Steve Cook are expected to be the centre-back pairing. They have to keep a City attack brimming with goals at bay but special attention has to be reserved for Raheem Sterling in particular as the English international has bagged 8 goals and 2 assists in 7 games against Bournemouth in the top flight.
Meanwhile, Charlie Daniels and Adam Smith could start as the full-backs. They will have the most difficult task of tracking the likes of Sterling and Bernardo while at the same time dealing with the overlapping fullbacks.
Midfield
Jefferson Lerma and Philip Billing might start in the central midfield. Lerma is undoubtedly one of the prized assets on the books of the South Coast outfit and a lot could hinge on how he and Billing perform in the middle of the park.
Ryan Fraser and Harry Wilson will take up their position on the flanks. Fraser has churned 1.5 key passes per game on an average, while Wilson found the back of the net against the Villains and will be full of confidence this weekend.
Attack
Callum Wilson is yet to open his account and he will be desperate to make an impact against a big side like Manchester City to kickstart his season.
Joshua King will start as the secondary striker and the duo will look to ask questions of the City backline which conceded two soft goals last weekend.
Stats Courtesy: WhoScored