Preview: Manchester City vs. Bournemouth

Bidding to quickly banish their latest Wembley heartache, Manchester City play their final home game of the season on Tuesday night, when Bournemouth rock up for a Premier League battle.

Pep Guardiola and co are mourning their FA Cup dreams after Saturday’s 1-0 loss at the hands of Crystal Palace, while the Cherries are still in with a slight shout of qualifying for the Conference League.

Match preview

© Imago

Victims of an “absolutely pathetic” decision in the eyes of Ian Wright, Man City were left to bemoan both their own wastefulness and VAR controversy going against them in the English capital, where Palace celebrated a maiden major honour under the Wembley arch.

From Eberechi Eze‘s sumptuous strike, to Dean Henderson‘s penalty save from Omar Marmoush and contentious handball moment – where the Palace goalkeeper avoided taking the walk of shame for seemingly blatantly swiping the ball away from Erling Haaland‘s feet outside the box – a chaotic first half of Saturday’s FA Cup final preceded a low-key second which suited the Eagles to the ground.

As the post-mortem into Saturday’s agonising 1-0 loss continues, Man City will end the 2024-25 campaign having only added another Community Shield to their cabinet, another telltale sign that the first Guardiola glory days are coming to a natural, but inevitable end.

The dethroned Premier League champions’ campaign could still end even more disastrously should they miss out on a top-five finish, but as they are just one point behind Aston Villa and Chelsea with a game in hand on both – and a better goal difference – their Champions League destiny remains in their own hands.

Last weekend’s similarly excruciating goalless draw with Southampton did the Sky Blues no favours, but Guardiola’s charges can at least proudly show off four wins from their last four Premier League matches at the Etihad, and they have prevailed in each of their last eight final home games of the season.

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Those in red and black as well as sky blue ought to have been donning their Man City scarves for the FA Cup final, as had City come up trumps against Palace while qualifying for the Champions League, eighth place would have definitely sufficed for Conference League qualification.

However, there is one scenario where Bournemouth could still sneak into the third tier of European football; if Chelsea beat Real Betis in this year’s Conference League final but also finish seventh, or the Blues finish sixth and Newcastle United in seventh, eighth will provide a path to the CL.

The Cherries could therefore still bring European nights to the South Coast, although a meagre three wins from their last 13 games is hardly continent-worthy form, and last weekend’s painful 1-0 home loss to 10-man Aston Villa officially took them out of top-seven contention.

Andoni Iraola‘s side also still need Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion to slip up somewhere in their final two games if they are to earn their European stars, but ahead of what would normally be a daunting trip to the Etihad, the Cherries losing just one of their last 13 away matches offers a crumb of comfort.

Taking down Man City 2-1 at home in November will provide another slice of encouragement, but Guardiola’s men gained revenge by the same scoreline in the FA Cup quarter-finals and boast a 100% winning record against Bournemouth in Premier League home games, triumphing seven times out of seven.

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City form (all competitions):

Bournemouth Premier League form:

© Imago

Dealt another blow before the FA Cup final, City lost experienced midfielder Mateo Kovacic to a knock, as the Croatian joined Rodri (ACL), Nathan Ake (ankle), Oscar Bobb (thigh) and John Stones (thigh) on the sidelines; his availability for Tuesday is up in the air.

Kevin De Bruyne may have been stunted in his final final for Man City, but the departing icon should reprise his role in the first XI for his last home game in a sky blue shirt, before a potential second-half substitution for a proper Etihad send-off.

However, Guardiola should not hesitate to chop and change elsewhere, as Matheus Nunes, Nico Gonzalez and Phil Foden eye returns to the XI, as might Rico Lewis and James McAtee after the pair were strikingly omitted from the squad at Wembley.

Guardiola and Iraola can empathise over new midfield concerns, as Bournemouth starlet Alex Scott was left with a horror facial injury after catching an elbow from Villa’s Tyrone Mings last weekend; he has now undergone surgery on a broken jaw and will miss the rest of the season.

Scott joins long-term absentees Enes Unal (knee) and Ryan Christie (groin) in the treatment room, and Iraola also does not expect Dango Ouattara (adductor) or Luis Sinisterra (thigh) to play again this term either.

Thankfully for Iraola, Justin Kluivert is a straight swap for the stricken Scott in the centre of the park; the Dutchman’s return should see Lewis Cook drop back into a deeper role alongside Tyler Adams as Kluivert plays off Evanilson, who has five goals in his last five Premier League away starts.

Further back, Dean Huijsen‘s imminent move to Real Madrid has now been confirmed, but the £50m man will no doubt start in the visitors’ defence for the second-to-last time.

Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Savinho, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland

We say: Manchester City 1-1 Bournemouth

Drained and devastated after their unsuccessful trip to the capital, Man City may have their work cut out against a Bournemouth side who are seldom outfought in Premier League away games.

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