Manchester City vs Bournemouth (Premier League): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How to Watch

Manchester City look to return to the summit of the Premier League with three points, as AFC Bournemouth visit the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Following last weekend’s derby triumph, spirits will be high in the home camp, as the blue half of Manchester emerged victorious, defeating Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford last Sunday.

It was a footballing display to savour for the Blues, who merely swept their rivals aside with ease, carving through a defence which was almost as leaky as the roof, which all started when Rodri was brought down in the area.

After Rasmus Hojlund’s challenge was deemed a penalty, Erling Haaland made no mistake from the spot, firing home and giving City the lead in a first-half dominated by the away side.

It wouldn’t take long after the interval for Manchester City to double their advantage, when a slick passage of play led to Bernardo Silva lofting a ball to the back post, where an unmarked Haaland nodded home, doubling the advantage.

City would eventually add a third through Phil Foden, when Onana parried an effort straight into the path of Haaland, who unselfishly teed up the Englishman who couldn’t miss the open goal.

Make way… @PhilFoden coming through! 🥹💙 @ErlingHaaland pic.twitter.com/oc1kKsJztb

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) October 29, 2023

A comfortable three points and an easy three goals was the perfect predecessor to this Saturday’s encounter with Bournemouth, who grabbed their first win of the season last weekend, following a 2-1 victory over Vincent Kompany’s Burnley.

Despite their rocky start to the season, Pep Guardiola has praised his counterpart during the week, stating that Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is, “an incredibly well-respected manager in Spain.”

Guardiola also referred to the Spaniard as intelligent, and said he doesn’t expect anything to change in their approach in Saturday’s game.

As both sides look to expand on their victories last weekend, here is everything you need to know for Saturday’s clash with AFC Bournemouth!

Fixture Details

Manchester City take on AFC Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 4^th November, with kick-off in the Premier League clash scheduled for 15:00 (UK).

Team News

Manchester City will once again be without long-term absentee Kevin De Bruyne, who this week admitted he won’t be back before the turn of the year, with early 2024 a likely return date for the Belgian. There are no new injury concerns for the Premier League champions.

AFC Bournemouth will be without goalkeeper Neto through an ankle injury, while Emiliano Marcondes, Ryan Fredericks and Tyler Adams are long-term absentees for the Cherries.

Lewis Cook is ruled out of Saturday’s clash through suspension, as he serves the third of his three match ban following a red card against Wolves.

Head to Head

The head to head between the sides is bleak viewing for the visitors, with 1999 the last time Bournemouth managed to even pick up a point against City, with a 0-0 draw in League One being the scoreline.

City dominate the encounters since the turn of the millenium, with the Sky Blues victorious on all 13 encounters, with an emphatic 40-7 scoreline in favour of treble-winners.

Erling Haaland made his Etihad debut in a City shirt in this fixture last season, picking up an assist in a 4-0 victory on a sunny August afternoon.

Statistics

– Manchester City currently hold the longest consecutive home victories streak in the Premier League era, as they look to earn their 22^nd in a row with a win over Saturday’s opposition.

– AFC Bournemouth’s last away victory was 27^th April, which was the end of a three-game winning run on the road courtesy of a 1-0 win over Southampton.

– Manchester City’s 100% win streak over Bournemouth in the Premier League is in fact a top-flight record, with no side having more victories over another team in the Premier League era.

– AFC Bournemouth manager Iraola never defeated Pep Guardiola in his time as a player, with the Spaniard being on the end of only four draws and 10 losses against Guardiola during his time at Barcelona.

How to Watch

For fans in the United Kingdom, Saturday’s match will not be televised due to the 3PM blackout rule. You can listen to the game on radio channels such as Talksport and BBC Radio Manchester.

City Xtra will also have live coverage of the game across our X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram, with our live WatchAlong show available on our official YouTube channel from 2:30PM (UK) – subscribe and turn notifications on via the link below!