Seeking to close the four-point gap at the top of the Premier League, Manchester City travel to the Vitality Stadium to take on Bournemouth on Saturday evening.
Three days after salvaging a valuable point in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, the Sky Blues edged off Brentford 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium thanks to a second-half strike from Erling Haaland. The win in midweek saw Pep Guardiola’s side extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 10 games, winning eight times and scoring an eye-catching 22 goals in the process.
With Liverpool focused on Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea, Pep Guardiola’s side will be keen to take advantage of their game in hand and reduce the gap at the summit to one point with a victory over Bournemouth.
Manchester City Team News
Jack Grealish (muscle) and Josko Gvardiol (ankle) are both set to remain sidelined with injuries, while Kevin De Bruyne will have his hamstring issue assessed ahead of the game at the Vitality Stadium after not being risked in midweek against Brentford.
Predicted Manchester City lineup vs Bournemouth (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Ederson will be eyeing back-to-back clean sheets in the Premier League as Man City travel to Bournemouth on Saturday.
Defence
In front of Ederson, Pep Guardiola is expected to retain a 4-2-3-1 team shape. The Man City boss may be tempted to stick with the same back four that kept a clean sheet against Brentford, but due to less turnaround time and key fixtures coming up, changes are imminent.
Nathan Ake will be pushing to start at left-back against his former side after being an unused substitute in midweek, while Rico Lewis could replace Kyle Walker at right-back. Manuel Akani, who filled in at left-back in the 1-0 win over Brentford, should return to his natural position in central defence and partner Ruben Dias, with John Stones dropping to the bench after completing the full game on Tuesday.
Midfield
Mateo Kovacic will be hoping for a recall in midfield after coming off the bench in the second half against Brentford. The Croat possibly lines up alongside Rodri in the middle of the park, with Bernardo Silva operating higher up the pitch as a No.10.
The troika will be hoping to take control of the game on the south coast as quickly as possible and dominate the proceedings. For the second game running, Kevin de Bruyne could start on the bench as Guardiola hopes to manage the Belgian maestro’s minor hamstring issue well.
Attack
Oscar Bobb started the midweek game at home but the trip to Bournemouth may require slightly more experience and resilience, so Jeremy Doku should get the nod on the left flank. Phil Foden is a certain fixture on the right flank, with Erling Haaland leading the City attack and looking to score in back-to-back top-flight games.
