MANCHESTER CITY will be looking to make a return to winning ways in the Premier League when they pay AFC Bournemouth a visit on Saturday evening.
Following a 3-1 triumph in a top-of-the-table clash at Arsenal last midweek, City were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest last Saturday afternoon.
That stumble at the City Ground coupled with Arsenal's 4-2 victory at Aston Villa means Pep Guardiola's side trail the Gunners by two points having played a game more.
After playing out a 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig in midweek, the Sky Blues will look to get their faltering title defence back on track with a victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality this weekend.
The Cherries put a halt to their downturn in form last weekend when they battled to a much-needed 1-0 win at Wolves.
In doing so, Gary O'Neil's men snapped an eight game winless run, and more importantly moved out of the Premier League relegation zone in the process.
Outright Betting
Bournemouth haven't won a Premier League home game since before the World Cup and the bookies' odds expect that run to continue, with the Cherries chalked up as chunky 10/1 (William Hill) shots while the draw is also deemed unlikely at 9/2 (Betfred).
Despite emerging victorious from just six of their 12 top-flight road trips this term, Manchester City make the trip south as short priced 2/7 (Bet 365) favourites.
Betting Angles
You won't get rich backing the visitors at the above-mentioned price so I'll combine Man City to win, Under Five Match Goals and Over Zero Bournemouth Cards at 20/21 (Bet 365).
While the Citizens' form has been patchy this season, they should have enough class to emerge victorious from the Vitality this weekend.
Having said that, Pep Guardiola's star-studded side are not playing with anything like the same flow or swagger that we've become accustomed to, so I suspect the visitors will notch a comfortable if unspectacular win against their relegation-threatened opponents.
What's more, a sizeable 12 of Manchester City's 16 Premier League victories have produced under five match goals, so I'm prepared to side with the same formula here when faced with a Bournemouth team that have shown tentative signs of life in recent times.
Given that City will almost certainly dominate possession, as well as the fact that they have drawn an average of 2.29 cards from their Premier League opponents this season, I'll round off the Bet Builder with a minimum of one Bournemouth booking.
The above-mentioned Bet Builder would have paid out in six of Man City's last seven league wins, and the same combination clicked in August's reverse fixture between the pair, all of which adds to the appeal of supporting the same selection at 20/21 (Bet 365) on the south coast on Saturday evening.
One player who could be worth considering for a caution is Bournemouth's Adam Smith who has been priced up at 4/1 with UniBet to have his name taken.
The Cherries right-back has already racked up eight yellow cards in the Premier League this season and he should have his hands full here with Jack Grealish, who is regularly on the wrong end of some rough treatment from his direct opponents.
This English Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Manchester City will be played on Feb 25, 2023 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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