Who will score if Erling Haaland remains goalless?
One glance at the table and it becomes clear: this duel is no formality, even if the best sports betting providers are trying to sell it that way. The Citizens may be the favorites, but in the Manchester City vs. Bournemouth tip, the visitors are coming off a streak that even Pep Guardiola respects.
Andoni Iraola and his team lost their opener against Liverpool (2-4), but then went on an eight-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League (5W, 3D) that lasted until the Manchester City vs. Bournemouth prediction. That included four clean sheets.
The hosts’ attacking play currently seems surprisingly one-dimensional. What happens when Erling Haaland doesn’t score became clear on the last matchday. The Skyblues lost 0-1 away at Villa Park and slipped to fifth place in the standings.
Eleven of the team’s 17 goals this season have been scored by the Norwegian – a share of just under 65 percent. Apart from him, no other player in the squad of the fifth-placed team has scored more than one Premier League goal. The hosts have finished five of the nine matchdays with less than 1.5 goals scored.
The Cherries will demand all the Skyblues’ skills and force an intense encounter. No other PL team in the league allows fewer passes per defensive action in the attacking third (9.8 PPDA). From the third-most pressing sequences (103), Andoni Iraola’s team has generated 71 high ball wins, resulting in 14 shots and two goals.
Long balls into the box are often used to deliberately initiate pressing sequences – the second-placed team’s play hardly involves any risk of dangerous short passing combinations.
Manchester City – Bournemouth Head-to-head record
The Citizens have a perfect home record in Premier League matches against the Cherries (8 wins from 8 games). However, these figures are not really relevant. More important are the figures from the current season. Manchester City has only had 13.7 shots per game so far – the last time they had fewer was in the 2007/2008 season (11.1).
A lot depends on Haaland, and that’s where the value lies. Most recently, the Citizens have scored less than 1.5 expected goals in three of their five PL games. In addition, the hosts have been defeated in three of their first nine games of the season.
Manchester City – Bournemouth Tip
When will the Cherries be recognized as a serious threat to the top teams? Perhaps they still need to make a statement against a team of Manchester City’s caliber. Visiting coach Iraola has been in charge since 2023 and has continuously developed his squad.
Defensive procedures are working perfectly this season. As a result, Bournemouth has conceded a maximum of one goal in six of nine Premier League games. The rate of match days played by the visitors with less than 1.0 expected goals conceded is equally high.
There is definitely the potential for a close top-of-the-table clash between the two top-five teams in the Manchester City vs. Bournemouth prediction. Both clubs have been solid defensively this season—the Skyblues have conceded fewer than 1.0 expected goals in five consecutive PL matches.
City’s offense is lacking a bit of luck in front of the opponent’s goal. It is only thanks to Erling Haaland that the hosts’ conversion rate of big chances is not even weaker than 34.5 percent (12th).
