Man City vs Bournemouth Prediction, 02:00 May 21: Saving Faith

Pre-match review

Man City were not only bitter because of wasted opportunities, but also bitter because of VAR in the FA Cup final at Wembley, where Crystal Palace wrote a golden page in history by winning the first major title in the club's history.

From Eberechi Eze’s wonder goal, Dean Henderson’s superb penalty save from Omar Marmoush, to the controversial moment when the Palace goalkeeper appeared to use his hand to clear the ball right in front of Erling Haaland’s boot outside the box – the first half was a suffocating chaos. In the second half, the match sank into a lurking situation, just as the “Eagles” had planned.

With a 0-1 defeat, Man City ended the 2024/25 season with only the Community Shield title, a clear sign that the golden period under coach Pep Guardiola may be coming to an end.

In the Premier League, despite being dethroned, Man City still have hope of salvaging the season with a ticket to the Champions League. Currently, they are in 6th place with 65 points, only 1 point behind Aston Villa and Chelsea, but have the advantage of playing 1 less game and superior goal difference. The right to decide is still in their hands.

On the other side, Bournemouth also have reason to regret. They cheered Man City in the FA Cup final - because if the blue half of Manchester wins the domestic double and the Champions League, 8th place could be a ticket to the Europa Conference League.

Now, for the European dream to become a reality, Bournemouth must hope that Chelsea win the Conference League but only finish 7th in the Premier League, or that Chelsea finish 6th and Newcastle 7th, then 8th place will open the door to the continent.

However, Andoni Iraola's recent form has not been very positive, winning only 3 of their last 13 matches. The 0-1 home defeat to Aston Villa, despite the opponent playing with one less player, has officially knocked them out of the top 7 race.

Bournemouth, however, have every reason to be confident. They have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League away games, and shocked Man City 2-1 in November. Despite their subsequent defeat in the FA Cup quarter-finals, they will not be easily beaten.

Form, head-to-head history

In the last 6 matches in the Premier League, Man City won 4 and drew 2, while Bournemouth in the Premier League won 1, drew 4 and lost 1.

Etihad remains a reliable fortress as Man City have won all 4 of their last home matches in the Premier League. And especially, they have won all 8 of their last home matches of the season since 2017 until now.

Statistics show that Man City have won all 7 times hosting Bournemouth in the Premier League. And at Etihad tonight, Pep Guardiola and his team will definitely want to extend that domination, as a confirmation that they are not ready to give up.

Force information

Man City suffered a major blow when Mateo Kovacic was injured ahead of the FA Cup final, joining the "injured" list including Rodri, Nathan Ake, Oscar Bobb and John Stones. Kovacic's ability to play is therefore still uncertain.

Kevin De Bruyne, who is set to leave the Etihad Stadium, is likely to start in his final home game.

Bournemouth's Alex Scott has undergone jaw surgery after a collision with Tyrone Mings and will be out for the rest of the season. Enes Unal, Ryan Christie, Dango Ouattara and Luis Sinisterra are also out.

Expected lineup

Manchester City (4-2-3-1) : Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Savinho, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland

Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Cook, Adams; Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson

Score prediction: Man City 2-1 Bournemouth

Trong Dat

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nhan-dinh-man-city-vs-bournemouth-02h00-ngay-215-cuu-van-niem-tin-post1743857.tpo