Prediction: Bournemouth vs Manchester City



Verdict: Man City to win by 2 goals or more

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: William Hill

AFC Bournemouth have now gone six games without a win and they are in danger of slipping into the danger zone, so the current situation should serve as an extra incentive for the hosts to give their best on Monday evening. Manchester City have finally notched up several good results in a row and they will fancy their chances of winning at Vitality Stadium.

Bournemouth

Considering everything Eddie Howe has achieved with AFC Bournemouth, taking them to unimagined heights and keeping them there, it is absolutely preposterous that some sections of the media are calling for his head. Granted, the Cherries have not been at their best of late, failing to win any of their last six matches in all competitions, but they, nonetheless, boast a five-point advantage over the bottom three in the Premier League and have got plenty of time to turn things around. Defeats to relegation rivals Hull City and Crystal Palace as well as the heavy loss to Everton must have acted as serious blows to the players’ confidence, and no doubts the Cherries are in problems ahead of the visit of revived Manchester City. This is clearly not the right time to be facing the Citizens, who are finally showings signs of improvement, and with the confidence low at Vitality Stadium, we believe that the hosts will find it hard to match their more illustrious opponents, even though they can be trusted to give their best on Monday evening.

Team News

Charlie Daniels continues to miss out through a hamstring problem, whereas top scorer Calum Wilson has been ruled out for the season.



Manchester City

Former Barcelona head coach Pep Guardiola has found the English Premier League much tougher than he expected, and it is fair to say that he has so far failed to get the maximum out of his expensively assembled side. However, following the dismal run of results, the Citizens appear to have finally returned to the right track, and now that the confidence is back, their opponents again have reason for concern. The 3-0 FA Cup triumph over Crystal Palace was the turning point as Man City then went on to record 4-0 win over West Ham and 2-1 victory against Swansea City, and it was January recruit Gabriel Jesus who had a key role to play in all those wins. The Brazilian scored impressive 3 goals and produced 2 assists in his first four appearances for the club and he has miraculously climbed over Sergio Aguero in the pecking order. Gabriel Sane and Raheem Sterling have also raised their game of late, with even the usually shaky back line doing better than before. Having climbed to within a point of second-placed Spurs, Man City have got a very good chance to place extra pressure on the London sides by defeating out-of-form Cherries, and we are backing them to succeed in their quest.

Team News

There have been no fresh injury worries for Pep Guardiola, but star players Sergio Aguero, Claudio Bravo and Vincent Kompany are expected to remain on the bench.

Key Factors to Consider

• Bournemouth lost all three Monday fixtures in the current campaign
• The Cherries didn’t score a single goal in those games
• Man City won four of last five meetings with Bournemouth (D1)
• The Citizens won each of their three EPL meetings by a four-goal margin
• Bournemouth conceded 19 goals in last 6 matches

Conclusion

AFC Bournemouth are going through a very rough patch at the moment and both Daniels and Wilson will be sorely missed. Man City, on the other hand, are finally playing with confidence and we expect their winning run against the Cherries to continue.

Verdict: Man City to win by 2 goals or more

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: William Hill