On November 2nd at 23:00 China Time, the 10th round of the 24/25 Premier League season continues as the defending champions Manchester City, plagued by injuries, travel to face Bournemouth.
Manchester City achieved an unprecedented quadruple in the Premier League last season. However, their transfer activity in the summer was limited, with only a €20 million move for the highly sought-after young talent Savio from Troyes, another club owned by City Football Group. They also re-signed Ilkay Gundogan in a dramatic turn of events, but there were no other significant reinforcements. Meanwhile, Manchester City let go of Alvarez and Cancelo, further streamlining their squad.
Bournemouth has recorded 3 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses in the first 9 rounds of the season, accumulating 12 points, the same as Fulham and Newcastle, placing them 11th in the league table. They lead Ipswich, who are in the relegation zone, by 8 points, so the pressure for relegation is not significant. However, Bournemouth has only scored 11 goals in 9 matches, averaging 1.2 goals per game, which is clearly insufficient. Their defense, having conceded 11 goals, is a key factor in their lack of relegation pressure.
Manchester City is currently the most potent offensive team in the Premier League, scoring 20 goals in 9 matches, averaging 2.2 goals per game, making them the only team to have reached 20 goals so far. Defensively, Manchester City has conceded 9 goals in 9 matches, averaging 1 goal per game, which, while still room for improvement, ranks among the top three in the Premier League, behind Liverpool (5 goals) and Nottingham Forest (7 goals). Considering both their attack and defense, it is reasonable for them to be atop the Premier League table.
Bournemouth’s home performance this season has been solid, with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in their first 4 home games, including a surprising 2-0 victory over title contenders Arsenal in the previous round and a 1-1 draw against the wealthy Newcastle.
Manchester City’s away form is unquestionable, having played 6 away matches this season with 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. In the first 4 away Premier League matches, they won 3 and drew 1, defeating Chelsea, West Ham United, and Wolves, with Newcastle being the only team to secure a point against them.
Manchester City has had a dominant record against Bournemouth, winning 16 out of 17 meetings and drawing 1, scoring 49 goals and conceding only 9. They have kept clean sheets in 8 of those matches. In the last 15 encounters, Manchester City has won all of them, with the last time they dropped points against Bournemouth being in December 1999, when the match ended in a 0-0 draw, and City was still in the Championship. This highlights the significant psychological advantage City holds.
However, under the strain of a packed schedule, Manchester City has shown impressive resilience, winning 10 out of 14 matches across all competitions, drawing 3, and losing only 1, a 1-2 defeat to Tottenham in the EFL Cup round of 16. However, the team is grappling with severe injury issues, with Rodri suffering a torn ACL, Bob fracturing his fibula, De Bruyne dealing with a hamstring injury, and Walker, Grealish, and Doku all sidelined. The availability of Savio and Gvardiol is also in doubt, leaving Guardiola with a difficult task.
Overall, Manchester City’s strength and past performance against Bournemouth are overwhelmingly dominant. However, injuries and a congested fixture list seem to be the biggest obstacles for the Sky Blues. Can Bournemouth break their winless streak against Manchester City?
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