TEAM NEWS
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will again be without defender Aymeric Laporte, who is recovering from knee surgery.
However, City have no new injury concerns.
Bournemouth’s new defensive signing Marcos Senesi could be involved following his arrival from Feyenoord this week.
Ryan Fredericks and Joe Rothwell will have to wait for their debuts as the pair are still injured.
CHRIS SUTTON’S PREDICTION
Erling Haaland is going to be licking his lips before this one. If Manchester City score the first goal, Bournemouth are in trouble.
I suspect the Cherries will try for damage limitation if they do go behind, but I’m not sure that will work.
Bournemouth are the tallest team in the Premier League – and they are probably going to take the biggest walloping this weekend.
Prediction: 5-0
Chris’ full predictions v Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Manchester City’s record of 10 victories from 10 top-flight matches against Bournemouth is the best 100%-winning ratio in Premier League history.
- Bournemouth are winless in all 16 league meetings with Manchester City (D2, L14). That is the joint most that one side has faced another without winning in English league history, level with Halifax Town against Cardiff City, and Wrexham versus Crystal Palace.
- The Cherries have led for a total of just eight minutes in those 16 league meetings, when Charlie Daniels briefly put them ahead in August 2017.
Manchester City
- Manchester City have only lost their opening home league game in one of the past 22 seasons, which was a 5-2 loss against Leicester in 2020-21. Their last four opening home league matches have produced 23 goals at an average of 5.8 per game.
- City have scored at least twice in each of their past 10 Premier League fixtures. They are responsible for four of the 13 occasions that a team has been on such a run.
- At Borussia Dortmund, Erling Haaland scored nine goals in his five Bundesliga home appearances against promoted opposition, averaging a goal every 41 minutes.
- Guardiola has lost only three of his 73 Premier League matches in charge of Manchester City against English managers.
Bournemouth
- Bournemouth are looking to become only the fourth promoted team to win their opening two fixtures of a Premier League season, emulating Bolton (2001-02), Hull (2016-17) and Huddersfield (2017-18).
- They have won two of their five Premier League away games against the current reigning champions, although both of their defeats in such games have been against Manchester City.
- Scott Parker could become the first manager in top-flight history to win away at the reigning champions with two different promoted clubs, having done so with Fulham against Liverpool in 2020-21.
- However, he has lost all four of his managerial meetings with Manchester City in all competitions, which all came with Fulham between 2019 and 2021.
Predict Manchester City’s starting XI for their next fixture – remember you can change the formation!
Predict Bournemouth’s starting XI for their next fixture – remember you can change the formation!
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