Manchester City begin life in the Premier League after Pep Guardiola when they welcome Bournemouth to the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.
After 11 seasons under the legendary Spaniard, Man City will start a new era with Enzo Maresca at the helm.
However, the Italian endured a difficult introduction to life in the Sky Blues dugout as his side suffered a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in last weekend's Community Shield.
Maresca will now turn his attention to the Premier League, with Man City looking to reclaim the English top-flight crown after going without the title for the last two seasons.
As for Bournemouth, they will also have to adjust following the departure of Andoni Iraola, who left the Cherries to take charge at Liverpool.
Marco Rose has been handed the reins, but the German could hardly have been given a more demanding assignment than a trip to the Etihad on the first weekend of the season.
How the bookies view it: City strong favourites
It's little surprise that the bookies expect Manchester City to make a winning start to the new Premier League season, with a home win on offer at 12/25 on bet365.
As for Bournemouth, they are as big as 21/4 to emerge from the Etihad victorious, while the draw is an unfancied 7/2.
Head to head: City tend to succeed
Manchester City have dominated the head-to-head record against Bournemouth, winning 22 of their 25 meetings, with two draws and just one Bournemouth victory. However, Bournemouth did hold Man City to a 1-1 draw towards the end of last season, with that result confirming Arsenal as champions. Another 1-1 stalemate on Sunday is available at 9/1 on bet365.
Players to watch: Haaland to hit the ground running?
All eyes will be on Erling Haaland when Man City kick off their Premier League campaign, with the Norwegian coming off the back of another prolific season in which he netted 27 goals. Unsurprisingly, Haaland is just 1/3 to find the net on Sunday, but backing him to score alongside a home win lifts the odds to a more appealing 8/11 on bet365.
Rayan also looks worth keeping an eye on in the shots market after averaging 2.26 attempts per game in the Premier League last season. He can be backed at 5/6 to register at least two shots at the Etihad on Sunday.
Predicted line-ups
Jeremy Doku is expected to sit this one out after being withdrawn at half-time during last weekend's Community Shield defeat to Arsenal. Matheus Nunes is also a doubt, while Omar Marmoush and Savinho could be left out amid ongoing speculation over their futures.
Amine Adli, Eli Junior Kroupi, Julian Araujo and Veljko Milosavljevic are all sidelined through injury for the visitors, while Ryan Christie will miss out through suspension.
Man City: Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Kovacic, Anderson; Foden, Cherki, Semenyo; Haaland
Bournemouth: Petrovic; Smith, Silva, Hill, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Rayan, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson
Anything else catch the eye?
Antonio Silva looks a value option to be fouled at least once at the Etihad on Sunday at 4/5 on bet365.
The Portuguese international, who arrived from Benfica over the summer, was drawing an average of 0.97 fouls per game domestically last season.
Silva is likely to get drawn into a physical battle with Erling Haaland, who likes to throw his weight around, underlined by the fact he committed an average of 0.74 fouls per 90 in the Premier League last term.
Manchester City vs Bournemouth Betting Tips & Predictions
Further Reading
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