Overview
Manchester City has won two titles more than Arsenal this season and the opportunity to complete the domestic treble is still there for them. However, the victory at Wembley does not lead to overly enthusiastic celebrations, because the Premier League race is still undecided.
Antoine Semenyo's only goal against Chelsea in the FA Cup final helped Pep Guardiola win his 20th major title with Man City, including the English Super Cup.
That achievement also puts the Spanish strategist in history as the first coach to win at least three Premier League titles, three Champions League titles, three Carabao Cups and three FA Cups.
However, Man City's joy could completely quickly disappear just a few days later. The Etihad Stadium team is still 2 points behind Arsenal in the Premier League standings. That gap could even be widened to 5 points if Arsenal defeats Burnley before Man City enters the match against Bournemouth.
If that happens, Guardiola's team will be forced to win at Vitality. A draw or defeat will make them almost accept second place in the championship race.
However, their current form still brings great confidence to Man City. This team is on a 10-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, including 9 wins. Man City's away performance is also very impressive as they have not lost in their last 10 away matches, while keeping a clean sheet in 4 of their last 5 matches.
However, there are still statistics that make Guardiola worried. The Citizens have not won in all 4 recent away games against southern English teams in the Premier League.
On the other side, Bournemouth is one of the teams with the most stable form in the league. Andoni Iraola's team currently has a 16-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League - the longest in the league this season.
Although drawing too much caused Bournemouth to run out of steam in the top 5 race, they have begun to turn draws into victories. After a period of 6 draws in 7 matches from February to March, Bournemouth has currently won 4 in the last 5 matches.
The 1-0 victory over Fulham last weekend continued to show the tenacity of this team, with the decisive moment of brilliance belonging to Rayan. Bournemouth still has a chance to compete for fifth place with Liverpool when the gap is only 4 points and they have played one match less.
Vitality Stadium is also becoming a huge support for Iraola's team. Only Man City is the team that has lost fewer home matches than Bournemouth this season. Bournemouth has only lost 2 home matches in the 2025-2026 Premier League, and only Arsenal and Everton left Vitality with all 3 points.
Personnel situation
Before the FA Cup final, Rodri was the only case who was not sure to be fit enough to play for Man City. However, the Spanish midfielder started and played 65 minutes at Wembley, thereby helping Guardiola to be confident with an almost strongest squad for the away match to Vitality Stadium.
On Bournemouth's side, the Vitality Stadium team suffered significant personnel losses after the victory over Fulham.
Both Bournemouth and Fulham finished the match in 10 after Joachim Andersen and Ryan Christie received direct red cards. With that red card, Christie will be suspended for 3 matches and out for the rest of the season.
Expected lineup:
Petrovic, Smith, Hill, Senesi, Truffert, Adams, Scott, Rayan, Kroupi, Tavernier, Evanilson.
Man City: Donnarumma, Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, O'Reilly, Silva, Rodri, Semenyo, Cherki, Doku, Haaland.
The match between Bournemouth and Man City takes place at 1:30 am on May 20 (Vietnam time).
