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

Manchester City will play their final game at the Etihad Stadium this season as they face Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth in a mammoth clash for UEFA Champions League football.

In their last match, City suffered FA Cup final heartbreak for the second year running as Pep Guardiola’s side fell short at the last hurdle, losing by one solitary goal to nil scored by Eberechi Eze for Crystal Palace.

The Blues started strong with the vast majority of the ball, probing the Eagles defence and getting a decent foothold in the game, but the positive start quickly dissipated as for all of City’s possession, one counter-attack dismantled the former Premier League champions.

It was Daniel Muñoz who surged forward following a City corner and fizzed a low cross across the box as Eze arrived to hammer home past Stefan Ortega Moreno. A dreadful start for the Sky Blues as they fell a goal down inside 13 minutes

City struggled to create any clear-cut chances against Palace’s resilient low block with the 18-yard box crowded, but were offered a route back into the final when Tyrick Mitchell brought down Bernardo Silva and winning a penalty kick.

However, Manchester City did not seize the chance to equalise, as Omar Marmoush saw his effort saved by Crystal Palace number one Dean Henderson, with Erling Haaland appearing to hand over responsibilities to the Egyptian.

For the remainder of the final, City were rather lethargic. Similarly to the week prior against Southampton, they simply had no answers for the defensive approach adopted by their opposition, unable to break through a resolute back line.

All focus now turns back to the Premier League, as following the end of any silverware aspirations for Pep Guardiola, securing a top-five finish in the division in order to compete in the UEFA Champions League next season is absolutely essential.

City’s opponents on Tuesday night come into the fixture in relatively good form, as the Cherries have picked up eight points from a possible 15 in their last five, winning two, drawing two and losing last time out against Aston Villa.

In regards to how the table looks in the penultimate matchweek for both sides, Bournemouth have somewhat fallen away from the European race, sitting in 11th on 53 points and must win in order to keep their outside chances alive.

For City, this game is absolutely instrumental in saving their underwhelming season and putting them in a strong position for the summer as they sit sixth on 65 points – outside the UEFA Champions League qualification places as things stand.

A win would raise them to third position, so they would only need a maximum of a point on the final day to secure a place in European football’s premier club competition next season.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this monumental clash in the European football race!

Match Details

Manchester City welcome Bournemouth to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 GMT.

Match Officials

The Premier League has confirmed that Thomas Bramall will be the man in the middle as Manchester City takes on Bournemouth in the final match at the Etihad Stadium this campaign.

Check out the full list of match officials below!

Early Team News

For Manchester City, after missing out on the Cup final due to physical discomfort, Mateo Kovačić may return against Bournemouth, but the specifics of his fitness status are still unknown.

Despite having trained for a while, Dutchman Nathan Aké is a doubt for Tuesday night, still recovering from an injury sustained against Plymouth Argyle back in March. Oscar Bobb returned to the travelling matchday squad on Saturday but was not involved, so it remains to be seen if the Norwegian is back to full fitness following a hamstring injury.

John Stones remains sidelined for Pep Guardiola’s men as the Englishman is still struggling to recover from a thigh injury picked up against Real Madrid.

Rodri made a somewhat surprising return to the travelling FA Cup final squad too, but it is very unlikely that the Ballon d’Or winner will see the pitch this season, with City keen to minimise any possible risk of a recurring injury.

For the visitors, the Cherries have several first-team players out long-term. Alex Scott is ruled out due to a broken jaw suffered last weekend against Aston Villa, while Enes Ünal suffered an ACL injury earlier in the season, so he will likely not feature again until October at the earliest.

Luis Sinisterra is absent due to a hamstring injury, whilst Ryan Christie is also out due to a groin issue. Dango Outtara is a doubt after picking up a knock in Bournemouth’s win over Arsenal earlier this month.

Head To Head

In the last face-off between these two sides, Manchester City came away 1-2 victors at the Vitality Stadium as they progressed to the FA Cup semi-final.

The visitors had the opportunity to take the lead early on following a handball in the penalty area with less than 15 minutes gone, but Erling Haaland saw a penalty kept out by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Just seven minutes later, after some very poor defending from the Sky Blues, Manchester City trailed as Evanilson fired home from close range to give his side the lead in the cup tie.

City had no answer in the first 45 minutes, and so Pep Guardiola elected to change his personnel by bringing on Academy graduate Nico O’Reilly at full-back during the half-time interval, who turned the tide of the fixture entirely.

He completely revolutionised Manchester City’s play, as just four minutes into the second half, the number 75 surged forward on the left flank and drilled a brilliant ball across the box, which Erling Haaland attacked superbly to equalise for the visitors.

In the 63rd minute, City successfully completed the comeback, and 20-year-old Nico O’Reilly had a hand in the goal yet again, as he cleverly flicked the ball on to Omar Marmoush, who unleashed a powerful strike that the Bournemouth goalkeeper could not keep out.

Historically, Manchester City have dominated this fixture against Bournemouth, as in the 19 games played across all competitions, the Blues have won 17 of the clashes, drawing one and losing one.

Statistics

Manchester City have won all seven of their Premier League home games against Bournemouth – only Arsenal (10 vs Stoke) and Manchester United (8 vs Wigan) have a better 100% home win rate against an opponent in the competition.

Bournemouth won the reverse fixture against Manchester City 2-1 in November, having been winless in their first 20 league meetings with the Blues beforehand (D2 L18).

Manchester City have won their final home league game in 10 of the last 11 seasons (D1), including each of the last eight. Their last defeat came in the 2012-13 campaign against Norwich (2-3).

Bournemouth have lost their final away league game in both of the last two seasons, last doing so in three consecutive campaigns between 1989-90 and 1991-92.

Manchester City have failed to score in six different Premier League games this season, as many as they had in 2022-23 (3) and 2023-24 (3) combined. It’s the most times they’ve failed to score in a single league campaign since 2015-16 (8).

How To Watch

For viewers in the United Kingdom, the game will be available live on Sky Sports from 20:00 GMT, with regional radio commentary live with BBC Radio Manchester.

For United States-based viewers, the action will be available to stream on multiple platforms such as USA Network and NBC Sports US from 15:00 EST.

Check out the full global TV listings here!

City Xtra will have full live coverage available on our X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram channels throughout Wednesday evening, with content also provided on cityxtra.co.uk and YouTube!