Manchester City travel to the South Coast to face a competitive Bournemouth side under Eddie Howe. They have started well this season and will always be dangerous with the likes of Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson.
This fixture has always been tough for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, most remembered for a late Raheem Sterling winner at the Vitality Stadium, in the 100-point title-winning season.
Pep Guardiola has confirmed that John Stones, Leroy Sane and Benjamin Mendy are all unfit for Sunday. However, he has the majority of his squad, at his disposal.
Furthermore, the unusual thing about the August fixtures for a side like City, is the fact they have no midweek fixtures. Usually, they are preoccupied with a Champions League or domestic cup game, therefore Pep Guardiola will not have to worry about rotation for a few more weeks.
Here is how I predict Man City to start against Bournemouth:
GK: Ederson
Ederson was at fault for the first Tottenham goal because he was not stood in the centre of his goal, meaning Erik Lamela did not even have to find the corner. He will look to improve on last week’s performance.
RB: Kyle Walker
Pep Guardiola said that Joao Cancelo was ready to play, however, it sounded like he will feature more after the international break. There is no reason to drop Kyle Walker, who has been excellent so far.
CB: Nicolas Otamendi
First of all, Nicolas Otamendi was fantastic against Tottenham and reminded Man City fans what they were going to miss if he had left the club. John Stones is still not fit, thus Otamendi will probably continue.
CB: Aymeric Laporte
Aymeric Laporte is the first choice centre-back simply because he is the best that City have got. He is so calm on the ball and quietly excellently defensively, I say quietly because Virgil van Djik takes all the plaudits.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko
Oleksandr Zinchenko will be aware that Benjamin Mendy is back in training, but the Ukrainian will not be phased. This is because he has been performing to such a high standard himself.
CDM: Rodri
Rodri has not set the world on fire but I think that is the biggest compliment that can be given as he has been tidy in and out of possession. I could see Fernandinho returning but why ruin Rodri’s rhythm?
CM: Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne put in another superb performance against Tottenham, with two quality assists. There is no reason why he will not continue and he will look to put the Bournemouth to the sword.
CM: David Silva
I was surprised that David Silva did not start against Tottenham but then saw why because Ilkay Gundogan added more steel in the midfield. The Spaniard will more than likely start as City look to control more of the game against Bournemouth.
RW: Bernardo Silva
Bernardo Silva looked as if he will continue how he left off last season. There was this one piece of skill where three Tottenham players could not get the ball off him before he was blatantly fouled by Danny Rose. Riyad Mahrez is another option, but Silva is always reliable.
LW: Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling is and has always been a very good player. The difference is his game is his consistency, Sterling of 4/5 years ago scores a hat-trick and disappeared for a few games. Now he scores a hat-trick, then scores again and looks as if he wants more and more goals.
ST: Sergio Aguero
Gabriel Jesus impressed me when he came on and because of the new handball rules, his effort was disallowed. However, Sergio Aguero got another goal and at the moment is the first choice, but Gabriel Jesus looks like he wants to take his place.