Manchester City host Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon looking to respond from last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa which was their first Premier League loss since August and already their third of the campaign.
Pep Guardiola’s side remain six points behind leaders Arsenal and will be keen to quickly re-establish momentum after bouncing back in midweek with a comeback win over Swansea City to reach the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
City’s underlying numbers remain excellent despite some inconsistent results. They sit fifth for home xG ratio (61.6%), third for shots on target ratio and no side has registered more shots in the box than City.
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Defensively they continue to restrict opponents effectively, conceding just 0.98 xGA per match. At home, they have been dominant, winning 11 of their last 14 league games at the Etihad (D1-L2), and no team has earned more home points (34) in 2025.
Their task, though, is not straightforward against a Bournemouth side enjoying their best-ever start to a Premier League season. Andoni Iraola’s team arrive second in the table, unbeaten in eight matches since their opening-day 4-2 defeat at Liverpool (W5-D3).
Their latest result, a controlled 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, underlined their growing confidence and organisation. Bournemouth’s away process is less convincing, sitting 16th for shots-on-target ratio (40.9%) and 15th for shots-in-box ratio (41.4%), but they have still scored in 18 of their last 20 Premier League away games it is a run few teams can match.
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City have a perfect Premier League home record against Bournemouth, winning all eight meetings at the Etihad. The hosts are also joint-top scorers in the league (17 goals) and, despite recent setbacks, will fully expect to respond on Sunday in front of their own fans.
