Bournemouth-Manchester City is a match valid for the twenty-fifth day of the Premier League and is played on Saturday at 18:30: TV, formations, predictions.
Manchester City will take to the pitch within minutes of the final whistle of the match between Leicester and Arsenal. It will therefore be aware of the Gunners’ result. It is unclear whether or not this will be an advantage, but the feeling is that the Citizens seem to go stronger when under pressure. Last Sunday, meanwhile, they immediately squandered what they had won a few days earlier, handing Mikel Arteta’s side their second defeat after the FA Cup.
Haaland and his team-mates did not go beyond a draw at newly-promoted Nottingham Forest, conceding in the final minutes. It was a game the Citizens should have won by a landslide, but now they are in danger of taking the title race by storm. Pep Guardiola had just managed to close the gap on the Gunners, who had been alone at the top of the table for months, but after City Ground’s unexpected draw, Arsenal – who have one game less – have once again moved to within +2 of the reigning champions. A match that in some ways resembles the one against Leipzig in the Champions League, in the first leg of the round of 16: on Wednesday, Manchester City, in the lead after half an hour thanks to Mahrez’s goal, was taken back in the second half by Marco Rose’s Roten Bullen and in the return match they will have to win to pass the round.
The absence of captain De Bruyne, ready to return to the Premier League but starting from the bench, also weighed heavily in the cup.
Neto
In the last round Bournemouth tasted the thrill of success again, as they ran at the Molineux against Wolverhampton. Tavernier’s decisive goal allowed Gary O’Neil to breathe after nearly three months without victories. The Cherries, next opponents of Manchester City – who got the better of them 4-0 in the first leg – are now fourth bottom, one point above the red zone. The risk of an immediate return to the Championship, however, remains real.
The Prediction
Manchester City have repeatedly ‘pardoned’ Arsenal in the last period, squandering points in seemingly straightforward matches. This time they should make no mistake, even in light of the half-hearted Champions League misstep against Leipzig. They are likely to succeed in a match with at least three goals in total.
Bournemouth-Manchester City’s likely line-up
- BOURNEMOUTH (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Stephens, Senesi, Vina; Billing, Rothwell; Ouattara, Traoré, Anthony; Solanke.
- MANCHESTER CITY (3-4-3): Ederson; Akanji, Ruben Dias, Aké; Walker, Gundogan, Rodri, Bernardo Silva; Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-3
