Manchester City vs. Bournemouth Prediction, 7/15/20
Having clinched the 2nd-place finish in the Premier League this season, Manchester City will host 18th-placed Bournemouth, who are still battling for survival in England’s top-flight. Kick-off - at 13:00 PM ET on Wednesday, July 15.
City Batter Brighton
Good news kept on pouring in during the last few days for Manchester City, who not only saw their two-year ban from European competitions overturned by the Court of Arbitration of Sport but also ended a three-game road losing run in the Premier League after banking a 5-0 victory against Brighton & Hove Albion at Amex Stadium on Saturday. Raheem Sterling picked up a hat trick, with Gabriel Jesus and Bernardo Silva also on the scoresheet, as the Citizens (W23 D3 L9) secured the 2nd-place finish in England’s top tier for the season with three games remaining.
Saturday’s three-goal hero Sterling leads Manchester City with 17 league markers. Goalie Ederson, meanwhile, sits 18th in the EPL with 62 saves. He has recorded a joint league-high 14 clean sheets in 32 appearances this year and gives up a goal every 104 minutes of play. The Citizens have buried the absolute highest amount of Premier League snipes this season (91), while taking the absolute highest quantity of shots per game (19.5). The team is top of the league in both ball possession (62.1%) and passing accuracy (89.3%).
Bournemouth Stun Leicester
Bournemouth stepped up their bid for survival in the Premier League after following up last Thursday’s scoreless home draw against Tottenham Hotspur with a 4-1 thrashing of 10-men Leicester City at Vitality Stadium on Sunday. The visitors finished the first half 1-0 up, only for the Cherries to bounce back in the following frame, scoring three snipes, seeing a Foxes player sent off and having Leicester bank an own-goal as well. Dominic Solanke netted twice, with Junior Stanislas scoring a penalty, as Bournemouth finally ended a nine-game winless run (D2 L7), currently sitting 18th in the league (W8 D7 L20), three points below safety.
English striker Callum Wilson tops his team’s scoring table with eight Premier League strikes but has scored just once in his last seven contests. Goalie Aaron Ramsdale, meanwhile, resides 2nd in the EPL with 117 saves. He has collected five clean sheets in 34 outings during the current campaign and concedes a goal every 54 minutes on average. The Cherries have netted the 4th lowest number of goals this season (36) while delivering the 4th lowest quantity of shots per game (10). The team is 14th in both ball possession (46.3%) and passing accuracy (76.1%).
Prediction
Bournemouth showed a great deal of determination during their 4-1 victory over Leicester City on Sunday, but will hardly be hoping to earn at least a point when visiting Manchester City, who have won two straight Premier League contests with a count of 5-0 and will be high in spirits after successfully appealing their two-year ban from European soccer competitions. All nine previous EPL meetings between the two sides have finished with triumphs for the Citizens, giving the Mancunians five clean sheets in the process. City have also won their last five league home games without conceding a goal, outscoring their opponents 19-0.
Best bet:
Manchester City to win to nil (+110)