Overview
Manchester City will have to win against Bournemouth to continue the Premier League title race. In the context that Arsenal has defeated Burnley at the Emirates, the gap between the two teams is now widened to 5 points. Now, Man City must win both of the last matches of the season and hope Arsenal stumble against Crystal Palace in the final round.
The FA Cup champion team will face Bournemouth - a club that is currently in the most impressive form in the Premier League and still has a chance to compete for a Champions League spot.
Man City entered the away match to the south coast with excitement after the victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final. At Wembley, Antoine Semenyo - former Bournemouth player - scored the only goal in the 72nd minute with a classy backheel, helping Pep Guardiola's team win the title.
Since moving to The Citizens from Bournemouth in January, Semenyo has directly participated in 5 FA Cup goals with 3 goals and 2 assists - the most in the team. He also became the first Ghanaian player to score in an FA Cup final.
After winning both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup this season, Man City still has a chance to complete the domestic treble if the Premier League race lasts until the final round. Previously, Guardiola's team lost the championship advantage after a 3-3 draw against Everton. However, they quickly responded with two consecutive victories against Brentford and Crystal Palace before defeating Chelsea at Wembley.
Head-to-head history also completely leans towards Man City. The Etihad Stadium team has won 16 out of 17 matches against Bournemouth in the Premier League - a rate of up to 94.1%, the highest in league history against a specific opponent.
However, the 1-2 defeat at Vitality last season was a clear warning for Guardiola and his students.
While Man City is on a 14-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League, Bournemouth is even more impressive with 16 consecutive matches without losing. If they win, Andoni Iraola's team will only be 1 point behind Liverpool in the race for fifth place and a Champions League spot.
One of Bournemouth's biggest highlights at the moment is Rayan. The Brazilian player continued to impress when he scored the only goal to help Bournemouth defeat Fulham in the previous round.
Rayan has currently scored in 3 consecutive Premier League matches and has the opportunity to join the rare teenage group of players who have scored in 4 consecutive matches in the league, alongside Robbie Fowler, Nicolas Anelka and Francis Jeffers.
In terms of force, Bournemouth will be without Ryan Christie due to suspension after a red card against Fulham. Alex Jimenez is also continuing to be suspended.
Lewis Cook leaves open the possibility of playing due to a thigh injury, while Julio Soler is definitely absent.
On Man City's side, Rodri played 65 minutes at Wembley without any problems, helping Guardiola have almost the strongest squad for this decisive away trip.
Head-to-head record
The first leg between the two teams in November last year closed with a 3-1 victory for Man City at Etihad. Haaland scored a double in the first half, interspersed with an equalizer from Tyler Adams for Bournemouth.
In the second half, Nico O'Reilly scored another goal to seal the victory for Pep Guardiola's team.
That defeat opened up Bournemouth's 11-match winless streak before this team exploded strongly to become one of the best-performing clubs in the Premier League currently.
Score prediction: Bournemouth 2-3 Man City
The match between Bournemouth and Man City takes place at 1:30 am on May 20 (Vietnam time).
