MANCHESTER CITY and Bournemouth collide in Tuesday’s Premier League showdown at the Etihad Stadium with European qualification at stake.

Man City vs Bournemouth preview

Manchester City return to Premier League action following their disappointing defeat to Crystal Palace in Saturday’s FA Cup final.

The 1-0 loss at Wembley consigned the Cityzens to their first trophy less campaign under Pep Guardiola since his arrival in 2016/17.

But there’s no time to lick their wounds, there’s still a job to do to qualify for Champions League football next season.

Manchester City arrive in sixth position, a single point behind Aston Villa in the fifth and final UCL qualification spot with a precious game in hand.

A draw would be enough to leapfrog their rivals, but Pep will want maximum points to ease the pressure on their final day trip to Craven Cottage.

And a point should really be the least they expect given their exceptional record. Manchester City have won their final home league game in 10 of the last 11 seasons (D1), including each of the last eight.

They’ve also won all seven of their Premier League home games against Bournemouth – only Arsenal (10 vs Stoke) and Manchester United (8 vs Wigan) have a better 100% home win rate against an opponent in the competition.

The Cherries have lost their final away league game in both of the last two seasons.

However, there is a glimmer of hope for Andoni Iraola’s side.

Bournemouth won the reverse fixture against Man City 2-1 in November, having been winless in their first 20 league meetings with the Citizens beforehand.

They’ve also lost just one of their last 12 Premier League away games.

But wins have been difficult to come by of late. They’ve won just two of their last 10 matches in all competitions, and will need to pick themselves up after Crystal Palace’s FA Cup win over the weekend.

The Eagles’ success means that European qualification looks unlikely with the teams battling for eighth needing Chelsea to win the Conference League and to finish seventh – a tall order given they are say in fourth currently.

  • Man City 1/2 with William Hill – CLAIM HERE

Odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Win to Nil

Just how much damage will Saturday’s defeat inflicted on Pep Guardiola’s side?

As mentioned, the Cityzens really will have to pick themselves up quickly following that disappointment and Bournemouth are hardly the ideal opponent for a comfortable night.

However, they might have met the Cherries at the opportune moment. The visitors are struggling for goals with the third-lowest xG of any side in the division over the last four matches (0.90) and just 11 shots on target. Only Southampton and Tottenham have a worse xG.

As for the hosts, they actually boast the second-lowest expected goals conceded (xGC) of all 20 Premier League sides in the last four (3.17) and rank fourth for xG from Open Play. So if City can bounce back, they should be able to secure a crucial Win to Nil in their race for Champions League football.

  • Man City Win to Nil at 2/1 with William Hill – CLAIM HERE

Assist

It’s Kevin De Bruyne’s farewell to the Etihad, and we’re backing the Belgian to make an impact to help his side clinch Champions League qualification before departing.

De Bruyne leads the way for chances created over the last four Premier League matches, creating 11 goalscoring opportunities for his colleagues (one every 31 minutes). He also boast an xA of 1.50 during that timeframe – more than double any of his teammates.

  • Kevin de Bruyne to assist at 11/8 with William Hill – CLAIM HERE

Eze Chidiebere Paul

Eze Chidiebere Paul

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