Manchester City vs Bournemouth: Premier League Pick & Prediction – November 2, 2025
Challenging the traditional Big Six hierarchy, second-placed Bournemouth travel north to face fifth-placed Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in one of the most fascinating Premier League matches this weekend.
Andoni Iraola’s Cherries head into the weekend brimming with belief after extending their unbeaten league run to eight matches, while Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions continue to wrestle with inconsistency in both attack and mentality.
Head-to-Head History (H2H: Man City vs Bournemouth)
History is firmly on Manchester City’s side here. The Citizens have won all eight of their Premier League home games against Bournemouth, including a 3-1 victory towards the end of last season.
Manchester City have long dominated this matchup, but Bournemouth finally broke their Premier League hoodoo against the Cityzens exactly a year ago. The Cherries’ historic 2-1 victory at the Vitality Stadium on November 2, 2024 ended a 14-match losing streak in Premier League meetings with City and marked their first-ever win over the Sky Blues in the competition.
Even so, Pep Guardiola’s men still boast a perfect record in all eight Premier League home clashes with Bournemouth, winning each encounter at the Etihad by an aggregate scoreline of 31–5. Their most recent meeting in Manchester saw City claim a 3-1 win in May 2025, underlining how formidable they remain on home soil.
Manchester City: Current Form and Team News
When Erling Haaland misfires, Manchester City often stumble – and last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Villa Park proved that once again. The Norwegian striker failed to score for just the second time in the league this season, and without his spark, City’s attack lacked cutting edge.
That result marked the Sky Blues’ third Premier League defeat of the campaign, leaving them six points adrift of leaders Arsenal. Despite concerns about over-reliance on Haaland, who has netted 65% of City’s league goals this term, Guardiola’s men remain statistically dominant at home, boasting four straight wins at the Etihad across all competitions (including a victory over Serie A champions Napoli and in the Manchester derby in September), scoring 12 goals and conceding only one.
In midweek, City overcame a brief scare in the EFL Cup, coming from behind to beat Championship side Swansea City 3-1 and book their place in the quarter-finals. Both Haaland and experienced midfielder Rodri were rested, but the pair have since returned to full training and at least one of them is expected to start on Sunday.
Phil Foden is in line to make his 200th Premier League appearance – a milestone no younger City player has ever achieved – while Rayan Cherki would hope to retain his spot in attacking midfield after impressing with a goal and assist in midweek.
Bournemouth: Current Form and Team News
The Cherries earned their 100th Premier League victory on Sunday afternoon by beating Nottingham Forest 2-0. Their performance has also seen them exceed their best-ever start to a top-flight campaign with 18 points from nine games.
Few could have predicted Bournemouth’s rise to second place after their turbulent summer transfer business. Despite losing key defenders Dean Huijsen, Ilya Zabarnyi, and Milos Kerkez, Iraola’s men have reshaped brilliantly, staying unbeaten in eight league games (5-3-0 record) since their dramatic 4-2 loss at Anfield on the opening day.
Leading the charge for Bournemouth this season has been Antoine Semenyo, who is arguably enjoying the best spell of his career. The Ghanaian forward has produced six goals and three assists in just nine league appearances, combining explosive pace with an improved end product. Beyond simple numbers, Semenyo’s energy, pressing, and link-up play have been central to Andoni Iraola’s dynamic attacking system.
With the Cherries looking electric and confident in possession, Semenyo’s spectacular form gives them every reason to believe they can at least challenge Guardiola’s side on Sunday.
Their attacking balance has been key, though: summer arrival Eli Junior Kroupi, still only 19, has scored in three consecutive league games and could become just the fourth teenager in Premier League history to net in four in a row – following in the footsteps of Robbie Fowler, Nicolas Anelka, and Francis Jeffers.
Meanwhile, striker Enes Unal made his long-awaited return from a serious ACL injury against Forest, giving Iraola another attacking option. Evanilson remains doubtful, but Bournemouth have no new injury concerns and look poised to field a near full-strength lineup at the Etihad on Sunday.
Tactical Duel: Pep Guardiola vs Andoni Iraola
This all-Spanish managerial duel presents a fascinating stylistic contrast between possession dominance and structured pressing.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will likely line up in their now-familiar 4-1-4-1 base, morphing into a 3-2-5 shape in possession. Expect John Stones to step into midfield alongside Nico Gonzalez, creating numerical superiority in central areas and allowing Phil Foden (if he starts) and Bernardo Silva to operate between Bournemouth’s lines.
Assuming he’s fully fit, Erling Haaland will spearhead the attack, with City’s pacey wingers stretching play on the right and drifting inside from the left.
Guardiola’s side will aim to suffocate Bournemouth through territory and tempo, using midfield’s distribution and positional rotations to pull Iraola’s defensive block apart.
Andoni Iraola, meanwhile, sticks firmly to his high-intensity, vertical style – a refined version of the pressing blueprint he developed at Rayo Vallecano. His 4-2-3-1 formation relies on Marcus Tavernier and Antoine Semenyo for explosive transitions, while Tyler Adams anchors the midfield alongside Alex Scott. Bournemouth press in coordinated waves but will need to remain disciplined against City’s triangles and overloads on the flanks.
If Bournemouth can spring quick counters into the channels behind Josko Gvardiol or Matheus Nunes, they have the pace to cause real discomfort for City’s not particularly stable defensive formation.
Possible Starting XIs of Manchester City and Bournemouth
Manchester City: Gianluigi Donnarumma – Matheus Nunes, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol – Nico Gonzalez – Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku – Erling Haaland. (4-1-4-1)
Bournemouth: Djordje Petrovic – Alex Jimenez, Bafodé Diakite, Marcos Senesi, Adrien Truffert – Tyler Adams, Alex Scott – Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo – Eli Junior Kroupi. (4-2-3-1)
Manchester City vs Bournemouth Betting Odds and Prediction
Manchester City enter Sunday’s clash as clear -200 favorites with EveryGame, while a draw is priced at +360, and Bournemouth’s hopes of ending their Etihad curse are valued at +450.
The Cherries may be in red-hot form, but City’s attacking depth and formidable home record make them tough to oppose. That said, Bournemouth’s fearless style and recent goal-scoring form suggest this may not be one-way traffic. Our best bets and prediction is for an open, entertaining clash with plenty of goalmouth action.
Expect goals at both ends, but with Haaland back and the Etihad crowd behind them, City should eventually overpower the fearless Cherries and close the gap at the top of the Premier League table.