Manchester City continue their pursuit of a second treble in as many seasons when they visit Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday evening.
Pep Guardiola’s squad is in a decent place when it comes to fitness and injuries, with just two players definitely ruled out of the trip to the south coast.
While Josko Gvardiol and Jack Grealish won’t feature, the major question mark concerns Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian returned from injury but Guardiola left him out of the Brentford match due to some minor concerns about his hamstring.
Here’s the starting lineup Guardiola will likely choose when Man City face Bournemouth.
GK: Ederson – The clean sheet against Brentford was very welcome and the Brazilian will think he has every chance of getting another here. Fans have learned to take the rough with the smooth when it comes to Ederson.
RB: Kyle Walker – Has been in the press for the wrong reasons this season but Walker is still the sort of right-back any coach would have in their team. He won’t be this good forever, however, and links between City and Achraf Hakimi are starting to appear.
CB: Ruben Dias – One of the most reliable players in world football right now and perhaps the best defender, Saturday should be a calm affair for a player like Dias.
CB: John Stones – A number of different players have played alongside Dias this season but now he’s fit, Stones is the best choice. He clearly has a great on-field relationship with the Portugal international, which is crucial to start in a Guardiola team.
LB: Manuel Akanji – With Gvardiol out injured, Akanji is Guardiola’s favoured fill-in at left-back, showing how he seems to be able to get any player to play well in any role.
CM: Rodri – His recent strike against Chelsea was yet another example of the ridiculously consistent Rodri scoring another important goal. Seeing how their form dipped without him earlier this season, City may well eye a similar recruit in the summer transfer window.
CM: Bernardo Silva – Guardiola has turned Silva into an extremely versatile player, making him incredibly valuable. He is now adept in a deeper midfield role, which is where he should feature here.
RW: Phil Foden – Another player who can play almost any attacking role, Foden is having a really good second half of the season. Having recently become the youngest Englishman to play 50 Champions League games, expect him to be among the goals here.
AM: Kevin De Bruyne – Given he missed the Brentford game despite being fit enough to be on the bench, De Bruyne could return to the starting XI. If not, Julian Alvarez will be deployed instead.
LW: Jeremy Doku – Oscar Bobb started here against Brentford but the trip to Bournemouth may require slightly more experience, so Doku should get the nod after having a rest in midweek.
ST: Erling Haaland – Scored the only goal of the game in midweek and will be desperate to make up for lost time during the rest of the season. He put his time on the sidelines to good use, releasing an exclusive Haaland ice-cream in his homeland of Norway.
