AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City
All is not well at Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s men are not looking like the dominant force they’ve been in years past, particularly away from home.
After drawing away to newly promoted Nottingham Forest, the defending Premier League champions will be desperate not to drop more points against another newly promoted side in Bournemouth, who are busy battling relegation.
But the Premier League 2023 betting odds will heavily favour the champions, who have beaten Bournemouth in all of their Premier League meetings to date.
Talking Points
Bournemouth backline improving
Bournemouth gave their survival bid a significant boost last weekend as they got a 1-0 win away at Wolves. That win snapped the Cherries’ disastrous run of Premier League 2023 results, which saw them go winless in their last seven games (2 draws, 5 losses).
But Gary O’Neil’s side still have a lot of work to do. They are still in 17th place, just one point above the drop zone.
Brazilian goalkeeper Neto has been in good form of late, and he will need to be at his best once again as he takes on the champions.
Bournemouth still have the worst defensive record in the division with 44 goals conceded in 23 games. However, they have shown signs of progress as they’ve given up just three goals in their last four league games.
In terms of the attack, Bournemouth remain quite limited. January signing Dango Outtara has provided a decent spark with 2 assists in his four games, but the Cherries are still lacking a consistent goalscorer. Centre-forward Dominic Solanke has just three Premier League goals and has not scored since early November.
Co-leading scorer Kieffer Moore (4 goals) has been on an extended goal slump, with his last goal also coming in November.
Meanwhile, Marcus Tavernier – who scored the winner against Wolves – might miss time once again after suffering another hamstring setback. Tavernier, who has 3 goals and 4 assists in his last five games, had only just returned after missing eight games with a hamstring injury, so his absence would be a big blow for Bournemouth.
Man City slump continues
There is much concern about Manchester City’s form at the moment. After surrendering a late equaliser to draw 1-1 away to newly promoted Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, City again drew 1-1 away to RB Leipzig in the Champions League in midweek.
After a strong first-half showing, City’s performance completely fell off in the second half as they once again failed to hang onto their early lead.
Pep Guardiola was not pleased that his players had their heads down after the final whistle, which is perhaps a sign that the current confidence level within the club is not all that high.
City clearly have some issues away from home. They have won just one of their last six away matches in all competitions, although that lone win did come against Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte both missed the Leipzig match due to illness, although they are likely to be ready to face Bournemouth.
Guardiola curiously did not use any substitutions in midweek, so he is likely to make some changes against Bournemouth. Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez were unused substitutes and could be handed starts.
History
Man City vs Bournemouth has been as one-sided as it gets. The two clubs have met 18 times overall, and City have gone unbeaten with 16 wins and 2 draws.
In the Premier League era, City are a perfect 11 of 11 in terms of wins against Bournemouth, with an astounding aggregate score of 34-5.
The two sides’ first meeting this season came on the second matchday. Man City once again dominated as they rolled to a 4-0 win.
Betting Tip
Unsurprisingly, SBOTOP odds have Man City installed as 1.27 favourites to maintain their perfect record against Bournemouth. The Cherries are priced at 7.80 to win at home, while a draw is 5.40.
While Bournemouth have shown signs of improvement and City have had their stumbles of late away from home, it’s tough to pick anything other than a comfortable City win.
De Bruyne’s likely return to the lineup after his illness will be a massive boost, and I expect him to lead the Citizens to a convincing win to stay very much alive in the title chase.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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