Manchester City hosts Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on July 15, 2020, in English Premier League action.
This match will mark the first for Manchester City after their European competition ban was overturned on Monday. City has been cleared to appear in next year’s Champions League and has already secured a Top 4 finish in the English top-flight this season. With the Court of Arbitration for Sport lifting their ban, Manchester City can now focus on finishing the season strong while also preparing for the FA Cup and Champions League. The former champions are coming off twin 5-0 victories and they are on a mission to ensure that they don’t finish below 2nd place.
Manchester City has failed to retain their Premier League title but they have achieved success by winning the EFL Cup. City is also in the FA Cup semifinals and is still in the Champions League. Monday was a good day for Pep Guardiola’s side as the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned their two-year European ban. This means that City will be allowed to compete in next year’s Champion League.
In their last outing, Guardiola’s side had a 5-0 walk in the park against Brighton. Raheem Sterling produced a hat trick that increased City’s season goal total to 91, 15 more than any other team in the Premier League. They are in excellent form at home heading to this match with five straight victories at the Etihad Stadium and a total of 19 goals scored during that period. Among their recent victims at home were Liverpool, Arsenal, and Leicester City.
Raheem Sterling leads the team with a total of 17 goals scored on the season while Sergio Aguero has found the back of the net 16 times and Gabriel Jesus scoring 12 times. Kevin De Bruyne leads the team with 18 assists while also scoring 11 goals while Riyad Mahrez has nine assists and 10 goals as well. David Silva has contributed nine assists as well.
Manchester City is the most prolific scoring team in England with a total of 91 goals on the season. They are also #1 in assists with a total of 64 this term. City is ranked 4th in goals conceded with a total of 34 on the year and their goal difference of 57 is the best in England this year.
Bournemouth is coming off an impressive 4-1 win over a 10-man Leicester City squad in their last assignment. The win gave the team renewed hope of avoiding relegation but they face an uphill task here against a Manchester City team that has dominated them in their past meetings. The Cherries host Southampton and then travel to Everton to finish off their 2020 campaign.
The victory over Leicester City was their first league win in their last 10 matches. It was also their third victory against a Top 5 team after they defeated Chelsea and Manchester United earlier during the season. On the road, Bournemouth only has three wins in 17 away matches with Eddie Howe’s side losing their last eight away assignments. They failed to score in five out of those eight losses. With an inferior goal difference to West Ham and Watford, the Cherries hope they don’t get blown out here.
Callum Wilson leads the Cherries with a total of eight goals scored this season. Harry Wilson has found the back of the net seven times while Joshua King has scored five times this year. Ryan Fraser leads the team with four assists with one goal. Meanwhile, Diego Rico and King each have three assists for the visiting team.
The Cherries are tied for 16th in goal scoring with a total of 36 this year. They are 18th in defense with a total of 60 goals conceded this season. Bournemouth is ranked 17th in passing with a total of 21 assists on the term. Their goal difference of -24 puts them in 24th place overall.
Manchester City’s focus right now is undoubtedly on the two other Cup Competitions that they are in: The FA Cup and Champions League. With a Saturday FA Cup date with Arsenal, we could see changes in City’s lineup for this match. Guardiola even said after the win at Brighton that we could see up to six changes in this contest.
Sterling recorded another hat trick in their last outing and he is among those who are expected to be rested for City. De Bruyne, Mahrez, and Laporte could be given breathers as well on Wednesday. Joao Cancelo is still hurting for Manchester City and we will likely continue to see Kyle Walker feature at right-back.
On the other hand, Bournemouth will have to face City without defender Nathan Ake after he limped off the field against Leicester City. Veteran center back Steve Cook is expected to slot along Lloyd Kelly as Simon Francis and Chris Mepham are also on the injured list. Joshua King also missed the Leicester encounter with a hamstring issue but Dominic Solanke and Callum Wilson should be ready to lead their side.
Bournemouth has lost all of its nine head to head meetings against Manchester City and they have been defeated by an aggregate score of 28-4. That’s the most dominant 100% record over one opponent in the history of the English Top flight. Add the fact that City is coming off back to back 5-0 wins and that this is their first match since their ban was overturned. I think that Bournemouth is in the wrong place at the wrong time again.
Prediction: Manchester City
Manchester City has scored a total of 19 goals in their last five league matches at home or an average of 3.8 goals per match during that period. 16 out of their 23 league wins this season have seen them take the lead both at the end of the first half and full time. Likewise, nine out of their 13 home wins have seen them lead at the end of both halves. On the other hand, Bournemouth has been behind after both halves in eight of 13 away defeats in the Premier League this season.
Prediction: Half Time/Full Time for Manchester City/Manchester City at -225 or Over 3.5 goals at -109 which are both better than the -714 for City in the 1X2 betting odds
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
