Predicted 4-4-2 Bournemouth XI to face Manchester City in the Premier League
Bournemouth suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday and the Cherries will be up against it once again when they make the trip to the Etihad to face Manchester City.
Eddie Howe’s made an exceptional start to their Premier League campaign but three consecutive defeats against Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal have sent them crashing down to the earth.
Manchester City are currently in a goalscoring spree and thrashed West Ham 4-0 in their last Premier League outing.
Pep Guardiola’s men are the outright favourites to claim all three points from this clash while Bournemouth will have to pull off nothing short of a miracle to stop City’s juggernaut.
Team News
Bournemouth will be without the services of Adam Smith who is ruled out with a knee injury while Jefferson Lerma is suspended for having picked up five yellow cards.
Formation: 4-4-2
Manager: Eddie Howe
Predicted XI
1. Asmir Begovic (GK)
The veteran shot-stopper wasn’t at fault for either of the goals in the last game and has been a reliable presence between the sticks.
2. Simon Francis (RB)
He had a decent game against Arsenal but will have his work cut out against a potent City attack on Saturday.
3. Nathan Ake (CB)
The Dutchman put in a solid shift in the last game and won a lot of headers inside the box. Bournemouth will need him to stand like a rock if they are to deny City three points.
4. Steve Cook (CB)
He has been a reliable presence at the back and has complemented Ake really well.
5. Charlie Daniels (LB)
The veteran contributed equally to both attack and defence in the last fixture and the Cherries will need him to do the same on Saturday.
6. David Brooks (RM)
The youngster has been one of the revelations of the season so far and it will be interesting to see how he fares against a dominant outfit.
7. Dan Gosling (CM)
He had a decent game against Arsenal but was guilty of giving the ball away at times and he cannot afford to do that against Manchester City.
8. Lewis Cook (CM)
The English youngster came off the bench against Arsenal but will be expected to start in the absence of Jefferson Lerma.
9. Ryan Fraser (LM)
Bournemouth’s assist-king wasn’t at his best in the last game and the Cherries will need him to spark that creativity on Saturday.
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10. Joshua King (LS)
He marked his return from injury with a goal in the last game and will be expected to continue his good work.
11. Callum Wilson (RS)
The Englishman has been in fine form this season and he is arguably Bournemouth’s best bet to crack a solid City defence on Saturday.
