Manchester City V Bournemouth: Premier League – Live

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Preamble

Bournemouth don’t person a awesome grounds astatine Manchester City – since their first promotion to nan Premier League successful 2015, nan Cherries person mislaid each 8 of their convention visits to nan Etihad Stadium, scoring 5 goals and conceding … 31 – but this isn’t an mean Bournemouth team.

The south-coasters presently beryllium 2nd successful nan Premier League. That is contempt nan truth that they mislaid immoderate of their biggest stars (including three-quarters of their defence) complete nan summer, a transportation model successful which nan nine made a profit of £63.3m. Relatively unheralded teenagers Eli Kroupi (plucked from Ligue 2) and Veljko Milosavljevic (who made only 27 first-team appearances for Red Star Belgrade earlier signing for Bournemouth) person travel successful arsenic thrifty replacements and already look for illustration Premier League superstars.

Antoine Semenyo has arguably been nan champion subordinate successful nan convention this season. Andoni Iraola is simply a likeable and unflappable manager, playing an entertaining marque of shot that is elastic capable to steer clear of tactical evangelism. Unbeaten since August, Bournemouth mightiness person nan smallest stadium successful nan convention but person turned nan Vitality (11,300 capacity) into a mini fortress. Away from home, nan Cherries person been a spot much inconsistent – a triumph complete Tottenham has been supplemented by high-scoring draws against Leeds and Palace – and this is nan betterment that Bournemouth must make if they are to genuinely beryllium considered arsenic genuine top-four aliases (DON’T SAY IT, DON’T SAY IT, DON’T SAY IT) moreover title contenders.

Manchester City, of course, cognize what it takes to spell nan distance, moreover if this existent harvest are struggling to unrecorded up nan treble-winners of yesteryear. Arsenal look imperious astatine nan infinitesimal but only a fool would count retired Pep Guardiola and co pinch conscionable a 4th of nan play completed. City will spell 2nd connected 19 points pinch a triumph today, six points down nan Gunners. That is not an insurmountable gap, peculiarly arsenic Arsenal’s adjacent 3 convention games are Sunderland (a), Tottenham (h) and Chelsea (a).

Plenty to play for, then, successful an intriguing match.

Kick-off: 4.30pm GMT.