This weekend, Manchester City heads to Bournemouth aiming to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Although City remains undefeated in the league, they travel to the South Coast after a 2-1 loss to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup’s fourth round on Wednesday night.
Guardiola will be looking to field a strong enough team to secure three points at Vitality Stadium, despite the team’s current injury issues
Here are the predictions from notable analysts regarding City’s performance against Andoni Iraola’s squad.
**Paul Merson:**
“This will be a tough match for Manchester City because Bournemouth is strong at home,” the former Arsenal player and Sky Sports analyst shared with SportsKeeda.
“City is still winning games even when they’re not at their best. They fielded a much-rotated squad midweek and lost to Tottenham in the League Cup, which shows where their priorities lie this season—focusing on the Premier League and Champions League.
“They clearly miss the creativity of Kevin De Bruyne, and Rodri’s absence has also been felt, as he helps them transition quickly up the pitch.
The team has struggled a bit because, with all respect to Mateo Kovacic, he’s more of a ball-carrier than a quick passer like Rodri.
“Since they’re getting results, it’s working for now, as you don’t get extra points for winning by large margins. I expect to see the same this weekend.”
