Watch Live Match here: Bournemouth vs Man City as Erling Haaland breaks record, scored a very powerful goal in ONE second – Bournemouth 0:1 Man City
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Bournemouth vs Man City live team news score and goal updates as Walker starts but key pair absent
Manchester City take on AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday in the Premier League – you can follow every kick right here.
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by Joe Bray
Updated15:00, 2 Nov 2024
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Manchester City take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth.
Manchester City will take a battered and bruised squad to Bournemouth – but Pep Guardiola insists they will still do everything to win the game.
Bournemouth beat Arsenal at the Vitality Stadium in their last home game and took a point at Aston Villa last time out. City lost their first game of the season in midweek when a much-changed side were narrowly beaten at Tottenham in the Carabao Cup. They remain the only side unbeaten in the Premier League and will stay top if they win at Bournemouth.
Pep Guardiola has at least six players out, with Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku not expected back before the international break. Rodri and Oscar Bobb are long-term absentees, while Savinho was stretchered off at Spurs. Manu Akanji, Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias all reported minor concerns this week, too.
Guardiola said at Spurs he only had 13 players to pick from, so today’s squad could include some academy players again. Erling Haaland was rested in the Carabao Cup so is expected to come in and lead the line.
Today’s game is not broadcast live in the UK, so follow below for pre-match build-up, live match updates and post-match reaction from the Vitality Stadium.
Key Events
City team confirmed with surprises and omissions
13:47
15:00Joe Bray
1′ – (0-0) – Kick off!
We’re underway at the Vitality after a minute’s silence for Remembrance Day – this being Bournemouth’s closest home game to Remembrance Sunday.
There’s a packed City away end and they’re in fine volume. Nunes is left Foden looks to be right, and Bernardo in the middle.
‘Can we talk about Rodri, he’s won the Ballon d’Or’, sing the City fans.
14:49Simon Bajkowski
City’s record here is brilliant – but reasons to be wary today
City have a very good record at Bournemouth and some nice memories but it has rarely been an easy trip and Andoni Iraola’s side may be the best version of Bournemouth City have faced.
Guardiola’s side are struggling, carrying a number of injuries for a number of weeks that have left the same players getting progressively more knackered.
Erling Haaland should be fresh from the week but not many others will be, meaning City have to rely on their other qualities.
(Image: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images.)
14:45Simon Bajkowski
Academy duo could have big part to play
No starts for City’s academy players today after Spurs but it is good news for Simpson-Pusey and Wright in particular that they have been kept in the squad.
Both impressed when they came on in midweek and as we wait to see how exactly fit De Bruyne and Doku are they could yet have big parts to play today.
14:32Joe Bray
Arsenal beaten at Newcastle
A huge opportunity now for City to move eight points ahead of Arsenal after the Gunners went down 1-0 at Newcastle this lunchtime.
They are winless in three – but in a warning to City, they lost at Bournemouth a fortnight ago in their last home game here. Even with the players back for the Blues, it serves as a reminder that three poitns today will be far from easy.
Manchester City scored late to earn a point against Arsenal last month, one of three occasions already this season where the Gunners have had a man sent off
14:16Simon Bajkowski
Will City’s midfield be their weakness today?
Matheus Nunes gets another reward to merit another good performance.
Bournemouth may not be disappointed to see both Kovacic and Gundogan together in the middle.
It leaves City lacking in pace in the middle and a number of teams have already been able to exploit that this season. Bournemouth will surely have been working on that.
14:07Joe Bray
Why Stones and Dias are out
Let’s cross to Pep Guardiola for a detailed explanation of why Ruben Dias and John Stones are missing today…
He says: “they are out for a little bit of a long time.”
Right… cheers Pep.
14:01Simon Bajkowski
Is today the day for Foden?
Bournemouth successfully kept Erling Haaland in this game last season but his work occupying the defence allowed space for man of the moment Phil Foden to be the matchwinner.
Foden has not quite found his form from that year but he has been building himself back up and City would dearly love it if today was the day he kickstarted his campaign.
(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images.)
13:47Key Event
City team confirmed with surprises and omissions
This is the City team for this afternoon – no Dias or Stones. Walker is a surprise returnee and starts.
City starting XI:
Ederson, Walker, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Gundogan, Bernardo, Foden, Nunes, Haaland.
Substitutes:
Ortega, Doku, De Bruyne, Savinho, Wright, Simpson-Pusey, O’Reilly, Lewis, McAtee
Chief City Writer Simon Bajkowski, at the Vitality Stadium:
There are plenty of positives in that Guardiola team relating to injuries, even if problems for Stones and Dias mean they only have one more player available than they did for Spurs. Walker back into the lineup has to be a boost. He hasn’t been in the best form this season and has been injured for a good few weeks but as captain him being back in the squad is another importance voice to have around and the same goes for vice-captain De Bruyne.
Kevin De Bruyne and Nathan Ake have been absent for Manchester City in recent weeks
13:24Simon Bajkowski
Arsenal could do City a huge favour this afternoon
City will do extremely well to take maximum points from their final two league games before the international break – Bournemouth and Brighton – if the current injury list does not shorten.
That gives them some leeway for today, and there will be more if Newcastle can pick up a result against Arsenal, but on the flipside they can give themselves an easier tomorrow if they are able to get the job done today.
That has to provide some motivation going into the game.
13:14Joe Bray
Pep: Play through the pain
Interesting comments from Pep Guardiola yesterday when he said he expects City players to play through the pain if they want to challenge for titles at the end of the season.
He said:
“They are used to playing with some pain. It can be niggles or it can be danger but apart of that, when it happens… today almost all of the players play with pain. There are moments when injuries are injuries and be careful but sometimes if you have problems you have to play.
“Rafa Nadal played all of his career with pain. He played. And won I don’t know how many Grand Slams. You have to deal with it in modern football or you can’t sustain games every three days at a top club.”
12:52Joe Bray
City in the middle of gruelling schedule
This would be a nightmare fixture schedule even before the injuries mounted up, with four away games in 11 games and 4500 miles travelled.
Tottenham, Sporting and Brighton away are tricky at any time of the year, while Bournemouth have shown continued progress under Andoni Iraola, taking four points against Arsenal and Aston Villa in their last two outings.
City were beaten at Tottenham but not disgraced, so should be able to bounce back. There were smiles on faces at full time on Wednesday, perhaps seeing the benefits of going out of the Carabao Cup.
In fact, City returned home from Spurs in the early hours on Thursday and then travelled down to Bournemouth on Friday afternoon. They’ll be back in Manchester late on Saturday, before flying to Lisbon on Monday.
They will see anything less than a win at Bournemouh as a disappointment – but Guardiola will also see the trip as successful if City escape with no further injury concerns.
12:48Joe Bray
Is Doku in the squad?
Pep Guardiola hinted yesterday that:
“The players coming back, some of them who were out, today trained good. Maybe they can help for a few minutes tomorrow. We have to gamble, take a risk with the players.”
Does that mean any of the longer-term absentees who we thought would still be out is actually involved?
There are whispers on social media that Kyle Walker may return, while Jeremy Doku has posted a match preview graphic to his personal Instagram profile – usually what players do when they know they are playing in a game to get followers to tune in.
The squad will be arriving in the next hour so we’ll find out which players are involved as soon as possible.
(Image: 2024 Getty Images)
12:30Joe Bray
Early City team news – who is injured and who could return?
Right, here goes.
The following players are definitely out:
Rodri and Oscar Bobb are long-term absentees.
Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker are still not ready to return with groin and knee injuries respectively.
Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku are set to return after the international break.
The following players are doubtful:
Savinho was stretchered off at Spurs and is a major doubt.
Manu Akanji withdrew from the City team during the warm-ups – he is back in training, however.
Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias also reported issues at Tottenham and may be rested if possible.
That leaves jthe following fit senior outfield players:
Nathan Ake, John Stones, Rico Lewis, Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, James McAtee, Nico O’Reilly.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 30: Savinho of Manchester City leaves the pitch on a stretcher after going down injured during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 30, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
16:33Joe Bray
Welcome!
Hello, and welcome to today’s coverage of Bournemouth vs Manchester City.
There have been some odd takes out there this week – about City’s ‘shocking’ defeat to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and then that they had the audacity to state objective facts about how many players they have injured.
Despite some impressively-bad opinions, Pep Guardiola has refused to use the injury crisis as an excuse, insisting that City will field their strongest possible side at Bournemouth and go there to win.
The Spurs defeat came under the caveat of many changes and a youthful XI that finished the cup tie. (And the fact that Spurs are also a very good side). City remain unbeaten in the Premier League and sit top going into today’s fixtures.
Win, and they will stay
there for another week.
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