AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City FC, Premier League 2022-2023, Today Match Prediction

AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City FC Match Prediction & Analysis

Just as Manchester City overtook Arsenal at the top of the league, Pep Guardiola’s men have fallen behind in the title race once again.

By the time this game kicks off, City could find themselves five points behind league leaders Arsenal who would still have a game in hand. The Sky Blues can’t afford to slip up once again here.

This will be Manchester City’s fourth away game on the bounce (they play a fifth in the FA Cup next week) and have drawn their last two 1-1. Their away form needs to pick up here.

Bournemouth collected an important win over Wolves in their last game, rising out of the bottom three for the first time in a while.

They remain very much in a relegation battle and Gary O’Neil’s men know that a bad result here will likely send them straight back down the league once more.

TEAMS PREVIEW

AFC Bournemouth Preview

Reasons to be cheerful:

     Win over Wolves last weekend showed resilience

     Tavernier looks good going forward while Senesi and Stephens look tight at the back

Reasons to be fearful:

     Never beaten Manchester City in 17 attempts

     Still have the worst goal difference in the league

Wins such as the one Bournemouth picked up against Wolves last weekend are like gold dust – they could make the difference between survival and relegation.

Unfortunately for the Cherries, those victories are few and far between these days with nine games coming and going between this win and their last.

Bournemouth are certainly in for a tough few weeks. This game against City is followed by equally daunting contests with Liverpool and Arsenal. It’s likely that they could lose all three.

A poor run of form would take them back into the bottom three in all likelihood, although there are some positives for the manager to work with. 

Senesi and Stephens seem to have solidified the central defensive partnership and the likes of Solanke and Tavernier have goals in them upfront.

Star Man – Marcus Tavernier

With three goals and four assists, no Bournemouth player has more goal contributions than Tavernier this season.

Manchester City FC Preview

Reasons to be cheerful

     Won 15 of their 17 meetings against Cherries

     Goalkeeper Ederson could collect his 100th Premier League clean sheet

Reasons to be fearful

     String of away games seems to be taking its toll

     Could fall five points behind leaders Arsenal

There is something not quite right with Manchester City these days. 

While many would suggest that they are still favourites for the Premier League title, they are dropping points against teams they normally wouldn’t. 

Pep Guardiola continues to rotate his squad and employ tactics that appear not to be working right now. Phil Foden is one who can’t seem to get a game right now.

They have been unlucky with how their fixtures have fallen recently, with the club in the middle of a run of five consecutive away games. City have drawn their last two but they can’t afford another one here.

Star Man – Jack Grealish

One player who has been as consistent as any for City recent is Grealish. He is starting to contribute more frequently in front of goal and is a player who is rarely rotated in and out of the side.