Manchester City vs Bournemouth preview, prediction, team news, and head-to head

Manchester City are faced with a must-win game, as they hope to avoid slipping even further behind Arsenal in the title race.

The Cityzens slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa last time out; meanwhile, Bournemouth's 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest sent them into second place, 4 points behind the Gunners.

Manchester City succumbed to a 1-0 defeat away at Aston Villa last weekend, and Guardiola’s side will be eager to ensure the six-point gap between themselves and Arsenal at the summit does not get even bigger.

Their form at the Etihad should inspire confidence, given that they have lost only one of their ten previous home league games (W8, D1), scoring at least twice in eight of those ten matches.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth supporters must be in jubilant mood after a stunning start to the campaign, which left them second and four points behind the table-topping Gunners at the end of last round.

A 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest last weekend extended the Cherries' unbeaten league run to eight games, the current longest run in the division.

They struggle to keep clean sheets on the road, though, with Andoni Iraola’s side conceding nine away Premier League goals to date this season

The Cherries have lost 15 of their 16 overall Premier League clashes against Manchester City.

There is no doubt Guardiola's men are big favourites here, as they have scored 24 goals in the last 7 home games of this fixture.

Erling Haaland was left out of City's Carabao Cup win over Swansea but is expected to return to the starting lineup for this one. Star midfielder Rodri remains a doubt, although he has returned to training.

Bournemouth’s only notable concern remains Evanilson, who missed the last two games with a calf problem.

His absence has been masked by the explosive emergence of Kroupi, who has already scored four goals in six Premier League matches.

Manchester City: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri, Nico, Silva, Reijnders, Foden, Doku, Haaland

Bournemouth: Petrovic; Jimenez, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo; Kroupi

Bournemouth are fearless and will attack City whenever they get the chance, but expect Guardiola's men to be equal to the task, especially at home, where their record in this fixture is emphatic. Bet on Livescorebet for Man City to win 3-1.