
Manchester City host Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, August 23 (9:00 AM ET / 8:00 AM CT / 6:00 AM PT).
Bournemouth’s team news is dominated by absences before the trip to the Etihad: the injured Eli Kroupi, the suspended Ryan Christie, the injured Veljko Milosavljevic, the injured Julian Araujo and the unavailable Amine Adli are all out. Doubtful David Brooks, doubtful Tyler Adams, doubtful Julio Soler and doubtful Alvaro Rodriguez add further uncertainty to an already-stretched squad. Manchester City have no fresh fitness concerns and will lean on Erling Haaland, Philip Foden and Jérémy Doku to lead the line.
US viewers can watch Manchester City vs Bournemouth on NBC and Peacock.
Manchester City vs Bournemouth: Best Bets & Predictions
Manchester City open their new season as heavy favorites at the Etihad against a Bournemouth side stretched thin by injuries and a suspension.
Our approach: we cross the market's strong lean toward Manchester City with last season's attacking data – especially Erling Haaland's scoring rate – to land on a home win accompanied by goals at both ends.
If Kalshi isn’t your choice, we also rate Polymarket and ProphetX — or compare the full lineup.
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Season Form & Standings
Neither side has kicked a ball yet this season – Manchester City and Bournemouth both sit on 0 points from 0 games as the campaign gets underway at the Etihad.
Premier League
| Team | Pos | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth | 3 | 0 | |||||||
| Manchester City | 15 | 0 |
Manchester City vs Bournemouth Predicted Lineups
Predicted XI — updated for the latest team news.
Manchester City
4-2-3-1Bournemouth
4-2-3-1Potential Match-Winners
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City): Haaland scored 27 goals from 126 shots last season, landing 59 on target across 2958 minutes.
- Philip Foden (Manchester City): Foden created 54 chances and added 7 goals in 2084 minutes last season, City’s chief creator from midfield.
- Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth): Semenyo scored 10 goals and created 25 chances last season, converting 27 of 49 shots on target.
Recent Form
Manchester City: W W D W D
- 2026-05-19: Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester City (D, away)
- 2026-05-09: Manchester City 3-0 Brentford (W, home)
- 2026-05-04: Everton 3-3 Manchester City (D, away)
- 2026-04-22: Burnley 0-1 Manchester City (W, away)
- 2026-04-19: Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal (W, home)
Manchester City closed last season W W D W D: home wins over Brentford (3-0) and Arsenal (2-1), an away win at Burnley (1-0), a 3-3 draw at Everton and a 1-1 draw away at Bournemouth.
Bournemouth: W D W W D
- 2026-05-19: Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester City (D, home)
- 2026-05-09: Fulham 0-1 Bournemouth (W, away)
- 2026-05-03: Bournemouth 3-0 Crystal Palace (W, home)
- 2026-04-22: Bournemouth 2-2 Leeds (D, home)
- 2026-04-18: Newcastle 1-2 Bournemouth (W, away)
Bournemouth also finished last season W D W W D: a 2-1 win at Newcastle, a 2-2 home draw with Leeds, a 3-0 home win over Crystal Palace, a 1-0 away win at Fulham and that 1-1 draw at home to City.
Manchester City vs Bournemouth Prediction
With both sides level at 0 points and 0 games played to start the season, City’s firepower – led by Haaland – should be enough to see off a Bournemouth side missing 5 first-teamers. Manchester City to win 2-1.



