Man City beat Manchester United in very comfortable fashion last weekend and they will be eager to keep this run going when they face AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.
MCFC currently sit third on the table, two points behind the league leaders so every game right now is a must-win for Pep Guardiola’s men. Man City trailed Arsenal for most of last season before picking up pace towards the final months so their manager won’t be hitting the panic button any time soon. However, they cannot afford to fall behind too much because, unlike last campaign, at least four teams are fighting it out for the top spot currently.
Manchester City haven’t lost to AFC Bournemouth in their last 13 meetings and on the other hand, the Cherries have picked up just six points from their 10 league matches so far. It’s very hard to see anything other than a regulation win for the home side at the Etihad Stadium but City have a string of very tough games coming up so Pep will have to keep one eye on those as well.
Manchester City’s team news and injuries:
While all the other big teams are battling with major injuries, for Man City, Kevin De Bruyne is the only major absentee this weekend.
After this match, City will face Young Boys and Chelsea in consecutive games so some experts think the manager could rest some important players on Saturday. The Cityzens did not have a cup fixture in midweek so they have gotten a full week’s rest which is why it makes no sense for Guardiola to worry about fatigue and stress-related injuries.
The MCFC manager used a 3-4-2-1 formation against Man United but he is expected to revert to a familiar 4-2-3-1 system. Akanji missed the derby due to a suspension so he is going to return and will come straight into the side to partner Ruben Dias while Walker and Gvardiol move out wide.
John Stones played alongside Rodri in central midfield in the derby but since Bournemouth are not going to be a challenge for Man City, Guardiola is likely to bring Mateo Kovacic into the side.
Jeremy Doku could also get a start in place of Jack Grealish and even Phil Foden could be rested because Bernardo Silva is more than capable of playing out on the right flank.
Erling Haaland scored a brace and assisted one goal last Sunday and there’s no way Guardiola is going to rest him.
Man City predicted line up vs Bournemouth:
Predicted Starting XI(4-2-3-1): Ederson; Ruben Dias, Akanji, Walker, Gvardiol; Mateo Kovacic, Rodri; Doku/Grealish, Alvarez, Silva/Foden; Haaland.
