After Saturday’s heartbreaking FA Cup final loss against Crystal Palace, Manchester City must quickly turn the page and focus on another decisive match for their season. At the Etihad Stadium, in a game valid for Matchday 37 of the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s men host Bournemouth with one clear goal: to win and secure a top-five finish, thus booking their place in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League. This clash against the Cherries is one of the many turning points in what has been a disappointing campaign for the Citizens. Apart from winning the Community Shield last August, they failed to win any other silverware, never posed a serious threat for the Premier League title — comfortably won by Liverpool — and exited the Champions League in the round of 16 playoffs against one of the weakest Real Madrid sides in recent memory. Now, with two games left, the only remaining target is the minimum objective set at the start of the season: finish in the top five. It’s an achievable mission, as they sit sixth, just one point behind fifth place and with one game in hand over their direct rivals. City must win both their final matches against Bournemouth and Fulham before shifting focus to the Club World Cup and what promises to be an eventful transfer window. Club legend Kevin De Bruyne is already set to leave, marking the end of an era. As for Bournemouth, currently tenth, they lost any chance of qualifying for Europe due to City’s defeat in the FA Cup final. A City win would’ve opened a European spot for the ninth-placed team. Andoni Iraola’s men travel to Manchester with nothing to lose and aiming for another impressive away result after beating Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Cherries have all but completed their first major summer transfer: Real Madrid have activated the €60 million release clause to sign Spanish international defender Dean Huijsen.

Manchester City Recent Form & Key Stats

Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final ended a 10-match unbeaten streak (7 wins, 3 draws). Despite the loss, the defense has shown solidity, conceding only one goal in the last four matches across all competitions. However, the attack appears off form, having scored just once in their last three outings — even with Erling Haaland back in the lineup.

After 36 Premier League matches, City have collected 65 points (19 wins, 8 draws, 9 losses). Their attack remains one of the best in the league with 67 goals scored, averaging 1.86 goals per match. At home, they’ve been strong: 39 points from 18 matches, with 40 goals scored and 22 conceded. They’ve won their last four at the Etihad, with their last home defeat dating back to February 23rd (0-2 vs Liverpool).

Bournemouth Recent Form & Key Stats

In their last Premier League outing, Bournemouth lost 0-1 at home to Aston Villa (goal by Watkins), missing the chance to push for eighth and ending a run of five positive results (2 wins, including the impressive win at Arsenal, and 3 draws).

Iraola’s team currently sits on 53 points, from 14 wins, 11 draws, and 11 defeats. They’ve scored 55 goals (1.53 per match) and conceded 43 (1.19 per match). Notably, Bournemouth are the fourth-best away team in the Premier League, with 28 points on the road (7 wins, 7 draws, just 4 losses). Overall, they’ve lost just once in their last 13 away games across Premier League and FA Cup.

Manchester City vs Bournemouth Prediction and Tactical Overview

This will be the third meeting between Manchester City and Bournemouth this season. In the reverse league fixture last November, Bournemouth claimed a surprising 2-1 home victory thanks to goals from Semenyo and Evanilson, with Gvardiol scoring for City. The FA Cup quarter-final saw City get revenge with a 2-1 win at the Etihad — goals from Haaland and Marmoush overturned Evanilson’s opener.

Looking at previous head-to-heads, City have often dominated with big scorelines, such as the 6-1 win in November 2023, and the 4-0 and 1-4 wins during the 2022/23 season. For this penultimate league match, City are expected to put on a show in front of their home crowd — particularly as it could be the final Etihad appearance for icons like Kevin De Bruyne.

Bournemouth, who have conceded in each of their last three matches, will approach this clash with freedom and could capitalize on the spaces left by Guardiola’s attack-minded setup — a weakness exposed by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.

Again, the Manchester City vs Bournemouth 37th Premier League match prediction from the BetMines algorithm sees a match with at least three goals overall as highly likely.

• Manchester City vs Bournemouth prediction from the BetMines algorithm predicts a match with Over 2.5 goals at 71%.
  
  
• Manchester City vs Bournemouth prediction from the BetMines algorithm predicts a match with Under 2.5 goals at 29%.

Manchester City vs Bournemouth Predicted Lineups

MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Savinho, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland. Manager: Pep Guardiola

BOURNEMOUTH (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Cook, Adams; Tavernier, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson. Manager: Andoni Iraola