Manchester City vs Bournemouth predictions: Haaland and Cherki to star in 5/1 Bet Builder
R Kilvington
Manchester City suffered a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in Enzo Maresca's first competitive game in charge
Bournemouth finished sixth in the Premier League last season
Recommended bet: Manchester City to win, both teams to score, Erling Haaland over 1.5 shots on target and Rayan Cherki to register an assist @ 5/1 with LiveScore Bet
Enzo Maresca got off to a nightmare start in the Manchester City dugout as he watched his side suffer a dismal 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield.
It was as poor a display as City have produced in quite some time and unless immediate improvement is made, it could be a long season for the Citizens.
Bournemouth also have a new manager at the helm, with Marco Rose taking over from Andoni Iraola, but only time will tell if the Cherries can come anywhere close to repeating their impressive sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season.
Team news
City will be without the services of Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish and Matheus Nunes for City’s opening Premier League game of the season.
Savinho and Omar Marmoush look set to depart the club and join Tottenham, leaving Maresca short for depth in attacking areas.
Bournemouth are also missing several key players with Eli Junior Kroupi, Veljko Milosavljevic, Amine Adli, David Brooks, Tyler Adams and Julian Araujo all absent.
The latest Manchester City vs Bournemouth odds are available on LiveScore Bet
The stats
The last match between these two sides finished 1-1, but City had won 18 of the previous 19 meetings between the clubs dating back to 2015.
City won 14 of their 19 home matches in the league last season, while Bournemouth claimed just six victories on the road.
Seven of the previous eight meetings between City and Bournemouth have seen both teams finding the net, and the Cherries have scored on their last three visits to the Etihad and in six of the last seven.
Erling Haaland averaged 1.7 shots on target per game last season in the top flight, scoring 27 goals in 35 appearances.
Rayan Cherki provided 12 assists in the league for City, ranking him behind only Bruno Fernandes (21), while he registered two assists against Bournemouth last season.
The latest Manchester City vs Bournemouth odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
Maresca might not read too much into the Community Shield defeat, but if his side starts the Premier League season off slowly, then things could turn sour fast.
City have not won the league title since 2023-24 and while expectations have changed somewhat following the departure of Pep Guardiola, there appears to be enough quality in the squad to at least be challenging come May.
For Bournemouth, Rose is going to have to balance European and domestic football this season, something the Cherries have never experienced before and which may impact their league performances.
Haaland and Cherki are expected to be at the fore of a City win, even if it may not be plain-sailing.
Score prediction: Manchester City 2-1 Bournemouth
The latest Manchester City vs Bournemouth odds are available on LiveScore Bet
