Bournemouth could pose a tricky test for a depleted Manchester City | OneFootball

Up next for Manchester City is a trip to the Vitality Stadium to take on Bournemouth. Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in the Premier League and sit top of the table heading into this weekend’s fixtures. Although they do head into this game off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night. But a depleted City squad will likely face a tough test against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Heading into Saturday’s match Bournemouth currently sit 11th in the Premier League table. They’ve won 3 games, drawn 3 games and lost 3 games to begin the new season. But in their last two games, they have beaten Arsenal and drawn with Aston Villa at Villa Park. Those are impressive results for Andoni Iraola’s side. On the back of those two results, Bournemouth will likely be full of confidence for the visit of the world champions.

A quick look at the Cherries squad shows that they are packed with quality, especially in the final third. New signing Evanilson is a proven scorer at the top level. His form at FC Porto earned him a big-money move to the Vitality Stadium. He hasn’t been banging in the goals as of yet but his performances have been crucial to the Cherries. He did score a crucial late equaliser against Aston Villa last weekend so he is in form heading into tomorrow’s match. Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo will also provide a constant threat to City’s defence. Former Manchester City striker Enes Unal is another player who could test City’s defence.

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Under manager Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth do play an attractive brand of football. They are good in possession but their main threat to the champions does appear to be on the counter. They are loaded with pace and quality, especially in the final third. Given the early frailties Manchester City have shown against quick counter attacks this season Pep Guardiola’s must be on full alert tomorrow at the Vitality Stadium.

At times it does appear that Bournemouth’s defence can be got at. If Pep Guardiola’s side can dominate the game with their possession they should be able to create chances at the Vitality Stadium. But to Andoni Iraola’s credit, his team has looked stronger at the back in their past two games.

Bournemouth will pose a tricky test for Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium tomorrow. The Cherries are a good team on their day. They could be especially dangerous given how depleted the City squad is currently. Manchester City will also be looking to keep their remarkable unbeaten run intact against Bournemouth tomorrow. In 14 Premier League meetings between the two teams, Manchester City have won all 14. That is a remarkable statistic. But it may take a remarkable performance from Pep Guardiola’s side to keep that record going at the Vitality Stadium tomorrow.