Predicted Starting Line-Up: Manchester City vs Bournemouth (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City head into the weekend’s action hoping to make a return to winning ways in the Premier League against a Bournemouth side flying higher than ever before.

Pep Guardiola’s side come into the game off the back of a 1-3 win against Championship side Swansea City, in a game that was never quite as comfortable as the scoreline may suggest to some.

The hosts took the lead early on as Goncalo Franco lifted a stunning strike beyond James Trafford. The Blues pulled level before half-time thanks to a deflected effort from Jeremy Doku, before second-half goals from Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki secured City’s path into the quarter-final stage of the Carabao Cup.

Signs of the same issues that caused many fans frustration in the 1-0 loss to Aston Villa were still present despite the victory. In the first-half, the Blues looked largely unthreatening going forward, and at times lackadaisical on the defensive end. Reassuringly, the cup tie was very much an opportunity to rotate, as only Oscar Bobb started against both Villa and Swansea.

City must now shift focus back to Premier League action as they face Bournemouth – a team who sit second after making a dazzling start to the season under the management of Andoni Iraola.

The last time the two sides faced off, an Omar Marmoush wonder goal set the tone for a match that saw City win 3-1. There has only been one occasion in the match-up’s history that City have not walked away winners – a 2-1 defeat last campaign – tainting an otherwise perfect record.

Bournemouth come into this weekend in fine form, unbeaten in their last eight league games – a streak longer than any other team in the top-flight. Encouragingly though, they have only won two from their last five, and Pep Guardiola will be hoping his team has what it takes to break their run.

A win in this fixture is a must if Manchester City want any hope of staying in touching distance of Premier League title rivals Arsenal albeit so early on in the campaign, and so the pressure is well and truly on.

Here’s how we predict Manchester City will line-up as they welcome high-flying AFC Bournemouth to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon!

Predicted XI

The man between the sticks will almost certainly be Gianluigi Donnarumma. A superstar that needs no introduction at this point, having revitalised the Manchester City defence since his arrival. James Trafford has been highly praised by Pep Guardiola, but it will take a mighty effort to replace the Italian.

Matheus Nunes has quietly been one of the Blues’ most consistent performers in the last two seasons and finds himself once again nominated for Manchester City’s internal Player of the Month award. His fine form will likely see him rewarded with another game at right-back.

Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol have been a force to be reckoned with in recent games, and there is nothing to suggest that this partnership will be separated against Bournemouth after both players got rest for the midweek fixture in Swansea.

The Portuguese of the two men has done everything in his power to prove his critics wrong since the start of the season, while the versatile Croatian has gone from strength to strength in a more central role as opposed to left-sided full-back.

Left-back spot is one of the most hotly-contested positions on the pitch with the stunning form of Nico O’Reilly this season, but after getting his first start since returning from injury, Ryan Ait-Nouri could be the one to make the spot his this week.

The Algerian international will be desperate to get some minutes under his belt after a long spell on the sidelines, and he will need to do everything he can to prove his worth after O’Reilly’s excellent start and a new long-term contract for the now-England international.

In the absence of Rodri, Nico Gonzalez has been a crucial part of the midfield as he proves exactly why Manchester City snapped him up for such a big fee last January. The Spaniard looks more at home every week, and many fans will argue there could have been a different result at Villa Park had he started in the defeat.

Phil Foden and Tijjani Reijnders have injected some much-needed energy into midfield this season and there is nothing to suggest they will lose their spots this time around. Foden was a bright spark in the defeat last week, creating more chances than anyone else on the pitch (7), and while Reijnders may have struggled in a deep-lying role last time out, his energy when higher up is near enough irreplaceable.

Having scored and assisted against Swansea, Rayan Cherki looks to have done enough to claim a starting spot on the right-wing this week, with Savinho and Oscar Bobb still finding their feet this season and struggling for form.

This one is far from certain though, with Pep Guardiola having reasoned that the Premier League games might be too physical for a pairing of Cherki and Foden. On merit though, the French international has certainly earned back his spot as a starter.

When fit, Erling Haaland is the first name on the team sheet, and Guardiola confirmed his run in with the goal-post against Aston Villa would not be enough to keep him out of this one. He will be hoping to restart another goalscoring streak again having seen an 11-game run come to an end against Villa, albeit only due to a marginal offside run from Marmoush.

Speaking of which, Omar Marmoush also made a return to scoring form in his first start since the injury he sustained on international duty when he faced off against Swansea. The 26-year-old has scored both times he has faced Bournemouth, and so if anyone can crack their tough backline, it might be him.

Starting XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Nico, Reijnders, Foden; Cherki, Haaland, Marmoush.

Substitutes: Trafford, Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, O’Reilly, Rodri, Bernardo, Savinho, Doku.