Manchester City are in FA Cup quarter-final action on Sunday as they head to Bournemouth hoping to keep their hopes of silverware alive this season.
The Citizens have been a shadow of their former selves this year, failing to make a dent in the Premier League title race and being knocked out of the Champions League and League Cup.
The FA Cup – and Sunday’s fixture – is now Manchester City’s final opportunity to ensure they don’t end up trophyless for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign.
Bournemouth stand in City’s way and, given they won the first fixture between the two this season, they may well fancy their chances this time too.
BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has now predicted how Pep Guardiola’s charges will fare against Andoni Iraola’s side at the Vitality Stadium this Sunday.
Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images
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Chris Sutton backs Manchester City to beat Bournemouth 3-2 after extra-time
Sutton reckons City’s trip to Bournemouth is “such a difficult tie to call”, given how poor the Citizens have been and how the Cherries know how to get results against the top sides.
However, with Bournemouth currently in poor form and Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen both suspended, Sutton believes City have a chance to win – and will do so.
Sutton doesn’t believe it’ll be easy for the visitors though, as he predicted a 3-2 win for Guardiola’s side after extra time.
“This is such a difficult tie to call,” Sutton began on BBC Sport.
“Bournemouth were the team who started the rot for Manchester City when they deservedly beat them in November, for what was the defending champions’ first league defeat of the season.
“Back then, they were still ‘mighty City’, the team who were dominating English football, who hardly ever slipped up.
“Who would have imagined that, five months on, they would have lost eight of their next 19 league games and be in the position they are now, with just the FA Cup left as the only thing they can win?
“Pep always takes the FA Cup seriously anyway, and he has shown that by reaching the semi-finals for each of the past six seasons – something no other team had done before.
“Will City make it to the last four again? Yes… but only just.
“Bournemouth are so good with their press that they won’t allow City to easily play out from the back – there are going to be plenty of goals, and I can see it being settled in extra-time.”
Manchester City team news v Bournemouth
Ederson, who didn’t feature for his country in the international break, has trained the last two days.
However, Pep Guardiola didn’t confirm whether it would be Ederson or Stefan Ortega to face the Cherries.
Elsewhere, Josko Gvardiol looks set to be available despite an injury concern with Croatia during the international break, whereas the likes of John Stones, Nathan Ake, and Manuel Akanji remain sidelined.
Manchester City News has predicted who Guardiola could name in his starting XI for the FA Cup game.