AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City
If you’re a sensible football fan, you’d look at this upcoming battle between Bournemouth and Manchester City and see an easy win for the Sky Blues with the quaint south coast as the backdrop. However, avid Bournemouth fans know that they have as much of a chance at getting the three points here as City.
The Cherries aren’t the biggest team in the Premier League, but everyone who has watched them play knows that they can play some beautiful football. Under Eddie Howe, Bournemouth have churned out impressive results, and some of them were very impressive giant-killings.
Of course, one would not easily bet against Pep Guardiola and Manchester City; they are still the kings of England. However, would it hurt to dream and witness a small club take down one of the continent’s giants?
Talking Points
Pressure on the Sky Blues to keep on winning
There are only a few people clubs in England that can match Manchester City’s level of football. I reckon that there aren’t even more than five clubs across Europe that can hold a candle to the brand of attacking football the Sky Blues have shown this season.
They are easily the most impressive attacking outfit in the country, leading the entire Premier League in goals scored at 75. Their defence is also solid as the backline has only allowed a total of 20 conceded goals. Under Pep Guardiola’s masterful tutelage, there’s no wonder why a lot of Premier League 2019 betting groups think that the Sky Blues are still considered heavy favourites to lift the title.
However, not all of their wins have been rosy. For example, their defeat against Newcastle United in January was nothing short of curious. While Sergio Aguero managed to secure a first-minute goal at St. James’ Park, a second-half collapse saw Salomon Rondon and Matt Ritchie pull off the incredible upset.
Moreover, their 1-0 win over West Ham was frustrating, to say the least. While they easily overwhelmed the Hammers on the pitch, their inability to score goals was nothing short of confounding. Moreover, there are calls in the gallery that Bernardo Silva dove to get the favourable call.
While no team is perfect, City do have some of the world’s best players on their payroll. It’s hard not to walk into any stadium with confidence when you have people like Kevin De Bruyne, Nicolas Otamendi, David Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Riyad Mahrez ready to play for the shirt at a moment’s notice.
Can the Cherries do it all again
The ardent Cherry fan is probably satisfied yet slightly disappointed with the way the club has played over the past two months, and it’s not hard to see why he or she would feel such emotions.
It was at the tail-end of January when the Cherries gave the world the biggest Premier League 2019 news yet: they took down an uninspired Chelsea XI to the tune of 4-0 at home. A brace from Joshua King and goals from David Brooks and Charlie Daniels secured the unexpected stomp.
Unfortunately for the south coast club, they have not experienced a taste of victory since then. What immediately followed the game was consecutive defeats to Cardiff and Liverpool. While they managed a draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers, they immediately went back to their losing ways and endured a 5-1 hiding at the Emirates.
Eddie Howe would need all of his best men to be ready to play. As Callum Wilson is still out with a knee injury, it will be up to King and Ryan Fraser to lead the line. Meanwhile, Steve Cook and Jefferson Lerma have to lead the backline and defend against City’s impressive attackers. David Brooks must continue to become the X-Factor for the Cherries and catch the opponents off-guard.
History
It hasn’t been long since the Cherries have established themselves as regulars in the English top flight, so these two clubs haven’t played each other that much. Ever since Bournemouth’s debut in the top flight in the 2015/16 campaign, they have not won a single one of the league games they have played.
Their most recent confrontation doesn’t instil that much confidence amongst the Bournemouth faithful: Wilson was the only bright spot for Howe’s XI when they visited the Etihad in December. Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Ilkay Gundogan got the goals for that game.
However, Bournemouth will be hoping that their magical night out against Chelsea would rub off on this coming fixture.
Betting Tip
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AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City | First Half Over Under 1.50 @ 2.17 |
| March 2, 23:00 (GMT+8) |
Common sense and a lot of SBOBET tips dictate that the bigger team would be the heavier favourites to win. After all, they have some of the best attackers in the entire continent, and their defence has been very consistent throughout the season. There should be no reason as to why City would not take home the three points.
However, we must remember that they are facing one of the clubs that thrive on being the underdog. They do have a tendency to take it up a notch whenever they play some of the biggest teams in the country. We can just ask Liverpool and Chelsea, for instance.
It will be up to the men donning the red and black if the upset is actually achievable. If they manage to stem the tide in the first ten minutes and play their football, I think they have a chance.
Personally, I see this as being a win by the Sky Blues with the goals being settled in the first half.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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