AFC Bournemouth welcome Manchester City to Vitality Stadium for the weekend’s televised Premier League clash.
Here, afcb.co.uk assess five key points ahead of the fixture.
Possession hungry
Two games into the new Premier League season and Manchester City have had a higher percentage of possession than any other team in the league (66 percent), despite playing the entirety of the second half against Everton with ten men.
Aside from Manchester City, only Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have had a higher percentage of possession than Bournemouth (59.5 percent).
Recent history
In just ten previous meetings between the two sides, the Cherries are yet to register a victory against Manchester City. Eddie Howe will also be hoping his side can net their first home goal against City, having failed to find the target in all five previous home outings.
| AFCB wins | Draws | Man City wins | |
|---|---|---|---|
| League | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Total | 0 | 2 | 8 |
Selection in mind
After a number impressive performances in the midweek Carabao Cup victory over Birmingham City, Howe has admitted he may look to utilise the selection options within his squad.
Tyrone Mings, Dan Gosling, Lewis Cook, Marc Pugh and Jermain Defoe are just a few of the names pushing for starting berths.
Favoured opposition
Defoe has scored more goals against Manchester City than any other current Premier League side. The England international has registered a total of nine strikes against the Citizens, with Aston Villa and Wigan Athletic the only other two teams he’s scored more against.
Pep's system
Pep Guardiola also has some selection decisions to make, with Kyle Walker suspended following his red card against Everton last Monday.
Fellow summer signing Danilo is expected to start, but with questions marks surrounding the fitness of left-sider Benjamin Mendy, it remains to be seen whether Guardiola will stick with 3-5-2 system that has been utilised so far this season.
