Following two consecutive losses in the league, Bournemouth got some confidence from a win against Birmingham City in the EFL Cup. Although their next opponent is quite discouraging, Howe would hope to be the giant killers they had occasionally been last season.
Defence
The position under the bar would be taken by Asmir Begovic. Polish shot stopper, Artur Boruc, had started for the Cherries against Birmingham City in the midweek and Eddie Howe would start with his summer buy this time against Manchester City. The Bosnian goalie has shown his composure under the bar although Bournemouth’s poor defending has prevented him from keeping a clean sheet.
The back four is expected to see a change from their EFL Cup game in the midweek. Howe has been a fan of squad rotation and didn’t think twice about changing it despite the poor start to the season. We expect Nathan Ake and Steve Cook to start in the middle with Charlie Daniels and Adam Smith flanking them in the defensive third.
Tyrone Mings had started against Birmingham City with Brad Smith on the left defensive flank and are expected start on the bench on Saturday. With Howe most likely trying to see the game through by defending, the defenders will have one order to follow- sit deep and defend.
Midfield
With the four-man midfield bringing back the positive result to the side, Howe is expected to stick with it going into the big game on Saturday. Although Manchester City would be a totally different opponent than Birmingham, 4-4-2 definitely gives them the needed balance and structure over all.
Howe had opted for Dan Gosling and Lewis Cook in the midfield in the midweek and we expect the Cherries to start with their reliable duo of Harry Arter and Andrew Surman in the central midfield. The players excel in intercepting the ball and provide it up front at every chance.
Both the wingers Marc Pugh and Ryan Fraser got a goal each against Birmingham City in the midweek and Howe is expected to keep them unchanged for his game given their experience up front. Defending in numbers would mean Bournemouth can’t afford more than four men up front and the wide men will have to play an important role.
Attack
The two strikers would be new buys Jermain Defoe and Lys Mousset. Unlike most sides in the league, the Cherries are yet to see their summer buys getting on the score sheet. But their quality remains undeniable and Howe would hope to break the barren run in this game.
