Manchester City vs Bournemouth – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

The post-Pep Guardiola era begins in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon as Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City host Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium, both clubs starting the season under new management.

Guardiola’s decade at City delivered six Premier League titles, the Champions League and 20 major trophies before his departure this summer. Maresca takes charge for his first league fixture off the back of a chastening 3–0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield.

Bournemouth arrive under Marco Rose, who replaces Andoni Iraola after the Spaniard left to take charge of Liverpool. The two sides drew 1–1 at the Vitality Stadium in May, a result that confirmed Arsenal as champions.

Manchester City vs Bournemouth – Match preview and team news

Date: Sunday, 23 August 2026 Kick-off: 14:00 BST Venue: Etihad Stadium Referee: Jarred Gillett VAR: Paul Howard Last meeting: Bournemouth 1–1 Manchester City, 19 May 2026, Premier League

Team news

Manchester City

Jeremy Doku aggravated a calf injury in the Community Shield and has been ruled out for two to three weeks. Savinho and, most likely, Omar Marmoush will also miss out as both remain in talks over a move to Tottenham Hotspur. Matheus Nunes returns to contention after a minor muscle problem kept him out of the Community Shield and could come in at right-back.

Elliot Anderson, signed this summer, continues in central midfield alongside Mateo Kovačić. With Doku absent, Jack Grealish is set for a surprise recall on the left flank, with former Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo expected on the opposite side.

Bournemouth

Ryan Christie begins the season suspended, a carryover from last term, while Eli Junior Kroupi, Amine Adli, Veljko Milosavljevic, Julian Araujo, David Brooks and Julio Soler are all out through injury. Tyler Adams, Juanlu Sánchez and Álvaro Rodríguez have all returned to training but need further work before being considered fully available options. New signing António Silva is expected to be handed his debut in central defence alongside James Hill.

Form

Manchester City

Maresca inherits a squad reshaped by the departures of Bernardo Silva, Rodri and John Stones, with Elliot Anderson arriving as a big-money midfield signing this summer. Erling Haaland’s record on opening weekends is remarkable — seven goals in four such fixtures — and few expect that pattern to break regardless of the turbulence around him. The Community Shield defeat offered an early reminder of the scale of the rebuilding job ahead.

Bournemouth

Rose’s side enjoyed a productive pre-season, winning three of five friendlies and scoring 22 goals, including a 10–1 win over Genoa. Bournemouth have signed three new players this summer in Rodríguez, Silva and Sánchez, while Marcos Senesi departed for Tottenham on a free transfer. History offers little encouragement against this particular opponent — Bournemouth have beaten City just once in 18 previous top-flight meetings and have won their opening league fixture in only two of their last nine attempts.

Predicted lineups

Manchester City predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Anderson, Kovacic; Semenyo, Foden, Grealish; Haaland

Bournemouth predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Cook, Scott; Rayan, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson

How to watch Manchester City vs Bournemouth?

The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage from 13:00 BST.

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See also – Arteta hails ‘phenomenal’ new Arsenal signing following debut

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