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Manchester City logo
Premier League
Oct 17, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Bournemouth logo

5-1

Sterling (7', 29', 45'), Bony (11', 89')
FT(HT: 4-1)
Murray (22')

Preview: Manchester City vs. Bournemouth

Sports Mole previews the Premier League match between league leaders Manchester City and Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City will be hoping to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table when they host Bournemouth this weekend.

Both sides head into this match in mixed form, having each won just one of their three matches before the international break.


Manchester City

Manchester City's Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne celebrates after scoring their fourth goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at The Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England on Octobe© Getty Images

Manuel Pellegrini's side have sat at the top of the Premier League standings for the last fortnight, having thrashed Newcastle United 6-1 just before the international break, with Sergio Aguero netting five goals for the side.

The victory gave City their first win in three league fixtures, following defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United in the previous matches.

Aguero's performance also moves the club to the top of the goal-scoring table in the Premier League, having netted 19 goals in their first eight outings - almost twice as many as this weekend's opponents.

City have also kept more clean sheets in the league than any of their Premier League rivals this season, preventing their opponents from finding the back of the net in five of their matches so far.

With their league form back on track, attention will turn to the Champions League a few days after the visit of Bournemouth, with their third fixture in the group stage taking place on Wednesday when the side hosts Sevilla.

Despite a two-week break between matches, the club's groundstaff will have been kept busy during the international period. The Etihad Stadium, which only had a new pitch installed over the summer, played host to England's final match at the Rugby World Cup last weekend.

Recent form: WWWLLW
Recent form (all competitions): LLWLWW


Bournemouth

Eddie Howe Manager of Bournemouth looks on prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Stoke City and A.F.C. Bournemouth at Britannia Stadium on September 26, 2015© Getty Images

Eddie Howe's side sit 15th in the table ahead of their trip to the Etihad Stadium, four points clear of the bottom three, with eight points from their first eight outings.

The Cherries have won just once in four matches away from home this season though, clinching a narrow 4-3 win in a closely-fought match against West Ham United in August.

Bournemouth have won just once since their victory at Upton Park, with a 2-0 win over Sunderland their only win in five league fixtures. The team did pick up a point in their last match before the international break, letting a lead slip in a 1-1 draw with Watford.

Having helped the club secure promotion to the Premier League for the first time last season, and made a reasonable start to the 2015-16 season, Howe comes into this match fresh from signing a contract extension with the club.

The manager admitted that the team threw away two points in the draw with the Hornets, but insisted that he was not pinning the blame on goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

Before he picked up a serious knee injury, Callum Wilson was one of the top scorers in the Premier League, netting five of their 10 goals so far in the top flight, but he will miss the next six months. Defending has been a problem for this weekend's visitors this season, having kept just one clean sheet so far, while conceding 12 goals, almost twice as many as this weekend's opponents.

Recent form: WDLWLD
Recent form (all competitions): DLWWLD


Team News

Sergio Aguero of Manchester City kisses the ball to celebrate a goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on October 3, 2015© Getty Images

There was good and bad news for Man City during the international break, with captain Vincent Kompany coming through 60 minutes unscathed in action for Belgium, but Sergio Aguero will be missing after injuring his hamstring while away with Argentina.

Aleksandar Kolarov is also a doubt after picking up a knock while away with Serbia, while David Silva sustained an ankle sprain, but Samir Nasri and Yaya Toure could both be ready to return.

The visitors also have injury problems, with captain Tommy Elphick ruled out for 10 weeks after undergoing surgery on an ankle problem that has plagued him for the last month.

The skipper joins Callum Wilson and Max Gradel on the sidelines, as they are both ruled out with long-term injuries, along with Harry Arter and Tyrone Mings.

Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Hart, Zabaleta, Otamendi, Mangala, Demichelis, Fernando, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Navas, Sterling, Bony

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:
Boruc, Francis, Cook, Distin, Daniels, Ritchie, Surman, Gosling, Smith, King, Murray


Head To Head

This will be just the third time that Manchester City and Bournemouth have met, and the first time that they have come face to face since City's move to the Etihad Stadium.

The only time that the two clubs have been in the same league was in the 1998-99 season, when both clubs played in the third tier.

During that campaign, City secured a 2-1 win at home, before being held to a goalless draw five months later at Dean Court.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Manchester City 3-0 Bournemouth

Without Sergio Aguero's presence up front, Man City are unlikely to match their six-goal performance against Newcastle last time out, but with summer signings Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling both available to help Wilfried Bony up front, the home side should have enough to clinch a comfortable win.



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Tommy Elphick of Bournemouth controls the ball during the friendly match between 1899 Hoffenheim and AFC Bournemouth at Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena on August 1, 2015 in Sinsheim, Germany.
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