In Sunday afternoons Premier League kick-off, reigning champions Manchester City will look to get back to winning ways when they travel to the south coast to face Bournemouth. The champions will fancy their chances against the Cherries.
Bournemouth (odds to win 14/1 for victory)
The Cherries have picked up four points from their two Premier League games so far against newly-promoted Sheffield United and Aston Villa. A 2-1 win at Villa last time out should send Eddie Howe’s team into this clash in high spirits.
However, there is little in their recent Premier League history to suggest they will pull off a shock victory in this clash. Eddie Howe’s team has won just four of their last 16 games in the top-flight.
One win in their last seven Premier League matches at the Vitality Stadium is not exactly a great home record either. On paper, the Cherries are major outsiders to record a victory against Pep Guardiola’s team.
Bournemouth are likely to be without the likes of Lewis Cook, David Brooks and Junior Stanislas through injury. On loan Liverpool winger Harry Wilson is expected to feature for just the second time for the Cherries.
Manchester City (odds of 1/6 for victory)
The reigning champions head into this clash on the back of a 2-2 home draw with Tottenham. In truth, the Citizens were unfortunate not to come away from the clash with maximum points.
City dominated possession and had the better of the chances. However, Spurs hung on for a point after a stoppage-time goal from Gabriel Jesus was ruled out after a VAR check.
The draw against Spurs ended Manchester City’s run of 15 straight top-flight victories dating back to the end of January. Guardiola’s side will be highly confident about returning back to winning ways on the south coast.
City have been formidable opponents in the Premier League on their travels of late, as they have won their eight away games in the English top-flight. Guardiola’s team have also scored at least two goals in six of those eight straight away wins. The fact that Citizens have beaten Bournemouth in the last eight meetings bodes well for an away win in this clash.
Benjamin Mendy is back in training after injury, but will not start this game. Leroy Sane has a long-term injury, while centre-back John Stones is also an injury doubt. Joao Cancelo will be hoping to make his first appearance for City. However, the full-back is likely to start this game on the substitutes bench.
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Prediction
This should be a very good game to watch. We all know about City’s style of play and Cherries boss Howe will not waiver in his football philosophy either, so there will be gaps for both teams to exploit.
On paper, City should blow the home side away, as they have done in previous seasons. However, the Cherries should make a game of it at least. It is tough to look past the City win, though. The visitors should come out on top in a high-scoring game, so maybe backing the over 3.5 goals at odds of 10/11 could add some slight value to your bet.
Verdict: Back City to win at odds of 1/6 and the over 2.5 goals at odds of 10/11 (all odds taken from Bet365)
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Can the Cherries shock the champions at the Vitality Stadium?
