Verdict: Manchester City to win and both teams to score
Best Odds: 13/10
Bookmaker: Bet 365
Manchester City host Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday as the leaders hope to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Manchester City
It’s not even Christmas yet and Manchester City are already 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League and seemingly creating new records every week. Pep Guardiola side have looked simply unstoppable this season and they will be heavily fancied to make it 17 wins in a row when they face Bournemouth at the Etihad on Saturday. Quite remarkably, City’s first game in this amazing streak was against Eddie Howe’s team at the Vitality Stadium back in August when a 97th minute Raheem Sterling goal was enough to steal all three points. Even though the Citizen’s weren’t at their best midweek against Leicester City, they did make wholesale changes, and it’s likely they will be back to close enough the same team that demolished Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 last week. One area where they have looked frail is in defence where they have conceded in six of their nine home games this season. However, they’ve also scored an incredible 32 goals at the Etihad so it could be a long afternoon for Bournemouth.
Team News
Eliaquim Mangala is still a doubt with a head injury. Vincetn Kompany, John Stones and Benjamin Mendy also remain out.
Bournemouth
Last week’s 4-0 home loss to Liverpool has left Bournemouth without a win in six games and they are floating just one point above the dreaded relegation zone. Their last victory came against Huddersfield in November and manager Eddie Howe knows the Christmas period is vital if his team are to climb their way up the table. Including the midweek defeat against Chelsea in the EFL Cup, the Cherries have had to face Liverpool and Manchester United in their last three fixtures, and it doesn’t get any easier with their trip to the Etihad on Saturday. The visit to the league’s top goal scorers will mean that Bournemouth would have been working religiously on their defence in training this week, especially as they have conceded 12 goals in their last six games. One positive for Howe’s men is the fact City have been poor themselves at the back which means we could be in for a high-scoring game this weekend.
Team News
Jermaine Defoe and Harry Artur will miss the match after suffering injuries midweek, and they will join Joshua King, Charlie Daniels and Tyrone Mings on the sidelines.
Key Factors to Consider
- Manchester City have won nine and lost none of their Previous 11 Premier League matches against Bournemouth
- The Cherries have conceded nine goals in their last two trips to the Etihad Stadium
- If City win, it will be the joint-second longest ever winning run in one of Europe’s top five leagues (17 games). The current record is 19 achieved by Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in 2013-14.
- Manchester City have scored 97 Premier League goals in 2017 so far – the last team to score 100+ goals in a calendar year was Liverpool in 1982 (106 goals)
- Since the start of last season, Bernardo Silva has been on the winning side in 44 league matches, which is more than any other player across the top five European Leagues
Conclusion
It’s hard to bet against Manchester City at the moment and they look extremely likely to make it 17 wins in a row on Saturday. With Guardiola’s defensive injuries though, we can see Bournemouth snatching a goal.
Verdict: Manchester City to win and both teams to score
Best Odds: 13/10
Bookmaker: Bet 365
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