Manchester City will be looking to maintain their position at the top of the Premier League table when they travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams meet for the first time since February when the Citizens secured a slender 1-0 away victory courtesy of a first-half strike from Phil Foden.
Match preview
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Bournemouth are one of three Premier League teams, along with Fulham and Newcastle United, who have won three, drawn three and lost three of their opening nine matches this season, while they have also scored and conceded 11 goals each.
Since losing 1-0 at Leicester City at the beginning of October, the Cherries have picked up four points across their last two fixtures against Arsenal and Aston Villa, with a hard-fought 2-0 victory at home to the former followed by a last-gasp 1-1 draw with the latter last weekend.
Club-record signing Evanilson netted a dramatic 96th-minute equaliser to help Andoni Iraola's side snatch a point at Villa Park and they now sit 11th in the Premier League table, four points behind the top seven and eight points clear of the relegation zone.
A third consecutive game against a team from last season's top four is up next for Bournemouth, who will endeavour to beat Man City for the first time in their history this weekend. Indeed, the Cherries have drawn two and lost 18 of their previous 20 league meetings, the most one side has faced another without ever winning in English Football League history.
Bournemouth have also lost all 11 of their Premier League games against teams starting the day top of the table, the worst 100% loss rate against an opponent in the division's history, but they have collected seven of their 11 top-flight points on home soil this term, winning their last two matches in the process, which should provide them with some confidence heading into Saturday's contest.
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After starting the season with a 14-game unbeaten run across all competitions (W11 D3), Man City were condemned to their first loss of the campaign on Wednesday night when they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16 of the EFL Cup.
An understrength, injury-hit Citizens side put up an admirable fight in North London and Matheus Nunes's strike in first-half stoppage time gave them hope of a comeback. However, a second-half equaliser ultimately eluded the eight-time EFL Cup winners, who have crashed out before the quarter-final stage for the third time in four seasons.
Pep Guardiola hailed his side's "exceptional" performance considering the "problems" he is dealing with. Indeed, the Catalan coach hs claimed that Man City are in "trouble" as he only has "13 players" at his disposal amidst the club's mounting injury crisis.
Man City may have lost in midweek, but their club-record 32-game unbeaten run in the Premier League remains intact, and they are the only top-flight team who are yet to lose this term, sitting top of the table and one point clear of Liverpool in second after winning seven and drawing two of their first nine games - most recently beating Southampton 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium last weekend.
The Citizens, who are also five points clear of Arsenal in third, will fancy their chances of success on Saturday as they have won all 14 Premier League meetings with Bournemouth by an aggregate score of 45-7 - the best 100% record any team has against another in English top-flight history.
Team News
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Bournemouth's Alex Scott is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury, while goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (thigh), Luis Sinisterra (muscle) and Philip Billing (illness) will all be assessed ahead of kickoff after missing last weekend's match.
Iraola is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to his starting lineup, but Adam Smith could replace Julian Araujo at right-back and join Illia Zabarnyi, Marcos Senesi and Milos Kerkez in a four-man defence.
After scoring as a substitute last time out, Evanilson will be hoping to force his way back into the first XI ahead of ex-Man City striker Enes Unal, while either Marcus Tavernier or Justin Kluivert is set to operate in the number 10 role.
As for Man City, they are still having to cope without newly-crowned Ballon d'Or winner Rodri (ACL), Oscar Bobb (leg fracture) Kevin De Bruyne (groin), Kyle Walker (knee), Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish (both unspecified) due to injury.
The Citizens' growing injury list now also includes Savinho and Manuel Akanji; the former was stretchered off against Spurs with an apparent ankle injury, while the latter picked up a groin problem during the warm-up, and both players have emerged as doubts for Saturday. Josko Gvardiol will also be assessed after sustaining a knock at the end of Wednesday's game.
Guardiola could recall as many as five players who did not start in midweek, with Ederson, Gvardiol - if fit - Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland all expected to feature in the first XI.
Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Semenyo, Tavernier, Ouattara; Evanilson
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Lewis, Kovacic; Bernardo, Gundogan, Foden, Nunes; Haaland
We say: Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester City
Bournemouth will view Saturday's contest as one of their best opportunities to claim their first-ever win against an injury-riddled Man City side, and they enter this fixture in high spirits after getting the better of Arsenal and drawing with Aston Villa last time out.
It is difficult to completing write off the Citizens, though, considering their exceptional record against the Cherries, and even though they are understrength, there is still quality at Guardiola's disposal and they may just do enough to come out on top in this one.
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