Manchester City will look to put their weekend disappointment behind them when they face AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League on Tuesday.
City lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final on Saturday, despite being heavy favourites to lift the trophy. It capped a miserable season by their high standards, but they cannot let their heads drop. They sit in sixth place in the top flight and need to win this game in hand to jump back into the Champions League places.
Standing in their way is a Bournemouth side with an outside shot of qualifying for the Europa Conference League. A mixed recent run of results has seen them slip to 11th but should they win, they will climb to eighth.
MAN CITY VS BOURNEMOUTH PREVIEW
The two sides have already met each other twice this season, once in the Premier League and once in the FA Cup.
In November, Bournemouth secured their first ever win over Manchester City, beating them 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium. Goals from Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson were enough to secure the victory, with Joško Gvardiol scoring a consolation late-on.
In March, the venue was the same but the score was reversed. Evanilson was on the score sheet again, opening the scoring for Bournemouth. However, second-half goals from Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush saw City progress to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
City hammered Bournemouth in this fixture last season, running rampant in a 6-1 victory. Bernardo Silva scored a brace, with goals also coming from Jérémy Doku, Manuel Akanji, Phil Foden and Nathan Aké. Luis Sinisterra picked up a consolation.
Both teams go into this game in rather mixed form. City haven’t won in two, with a goalless draw against Southampton preceding their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, lost 1-0 to Aston Villa last time out. This broke a five-match unbeaten run, although three of these games were draws. It is worth noting, however, that Bournemouth’s last away game saw them defeat second-placed Arsenal 2-1.
First-choice goalkeeper Ederson is likely to be recalled by Man City for this game.
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic is a doubt after missing the FA Cup Final with a fitness issue. Claudio Echeverri made his debut in that game and could feature in the Premier League for the first time.
Bournemouth’s Alex Scott is out with a fractured jaw. Ryan Christie, Dango Ouattara, Luis Sinisterra and Enes Unal are all still absent.
MAN CITY VS BOURNEMOUTH – PREDICTIONS
Man City Win
Man City are undefeated at home against Bournemouth in the Premier League, having won all seven games they have played. Home advantage could be significant here.
Draw
Bournemouth are enjoying a strong season and the two teams are quite evenly matched. Both sides have won one game apiece when facing each other this season.
Bournemouth Win
City could be disheartened following their FA Cup disappointment, while the Cherries did beat Arsenal in their last game on the road. They have only lost one of their last 12 Premier League away games.
PREMIER LEAGUE – TOP SCORER
| # | Player | Team | Goals | Assists | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Erling Haaland |
Manchester City FC | 20 | 4 | 21 |
| 2 |
Thiago Rodrigues |
Brentford FC | 16 | 1 | 21 |
| 3 |
Antoine Semenyo |
AFC Bournemouth | 10 | 3 | 20 |
| 4 |
Dominic Calvert-Lewin |
Leeds United FC | 9 | 1 | 19 |
| 5 |
Hugo Ekitike |
Liverpool FC | 8 | 2 | 18 |
MAN CITY VS BOURNEMOUTH – BETTING TIPS
Man City Win
It will be nervy and tight, but I expect Man City to scrape the win. They need the points to give them the best chance of securing a Champions League place and while Bournemouth will offer plenty of resistance, home advantage should count.
Under 2.5 Goals
Man City have not scored in their past two games, which hasn’t happened since October 2022. Should they fail to score again, we’re looking at a record that hasn’t been matched since March 2016. Bournemouth games are not high-scoring affairs either. Four of their last five games have registered under 2.5 goals, with the other being their 2-1 victory over Arsenal.
HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS
- Manchester City and Bournemouth have played each other 23 times, with City winning 20. The Cherries have won once, while there have been two draws.
- Bournemouth’s only victory came earlier season, a 2-1 defeat of City at the Vitality Stadium. They are looking to do the double over City for the first time in their history.
- Bournemouth have never won away at Man City, with the Manchester side winning all seven Premier League encounters.
- City have only dropped points once at home to Brighton – in a 3-3 draw in the old Division Two back in 1989.
- City have failed to score in back-to-back games for the first time in two-and-a-half years. The last time they went three in a row in all competitions was March 2016.
- Bournemouth have only lost one of their last 12 Premier League away matches (W6 D5).
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02-11-2025 |
Manchester City FC |
3 - 1 |
AFC Bournemouth |
| 20-05-2025 |
Manchester City FC |
3 - 1 |
AFC Bournemouth |
| 02-11-2024 |
AFC Bournemouth |
2 - 1 |
Manchester City FC |
| 24-02-2024 |
AFC Bournemouth |
0 - 1 |
Manchester City FC |
