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Man City Starting XI vs Bournemouth: Confirmed team news and predicted lineup

Guardiolaweighsupoptionsamidinjuryreturns

ManchesterCityapproachtheirfinalhomefixtureofthePremierLeagueseasonagainstBournemouthwithafamiliarsenseofuncertainty.Notovertheirambitionorthestakes,butratherwhoPepGuardiolacantrusttodeliveramidaspateoflingeringinjuriesandnarrativeweight.

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Rodri,longconsideredCity’son-pitchmetronome,hasnotfeaturedsinceSeptemberduetoaseriouskneeinjury.Hisabsencehaspromptedsystemictweaks,philosophicalrecalibrations,andintermittentspellsofdisjointedfootball.Butnow,withtheClubWorldCuploominginJune,theSpaniardisnearingreadinessandmayreturntothematchdaysquad —thoughheisunlikelytostart.

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“Rodriisevenbetterdaybyday,”Guardiolaoffered.Itwasalineheavywithbothhopeandrealism.

DeBruyne’semotionalEtihadfarewell?

MuchofthespotlightwillfallonKevinDeBruyne,whopreparesforwhatcouldbehisfinalappearanceattheEtihadStadium.TheBelgian’ssignificancetranscendsmerestatistics.Guardiola,evermeasuredinhisphrasing,spokewithsincerity.

“KevinwantsustowinthegametoqualifyfortheChampionsLeaguenextseason.ThisiswhatKevinwants.Iwillpickthebestteamtowinthegame.”

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Headded: “Kevinwillgetwhathedeservesinthebestmomentforwhathehasdone.WhatwehavedonewouldnotbepossiblewithoutKevin.”

Theimplicationisclear —DeBruyne’sfarewellwillbemanagedcarefully,perhapspoetically.ButGuardiola’spriorityremainsqualification,notsentimentality.

Fringeplayersreadytostepin

ThepotentialreturnsofMateoKovacic,JohnStones,NathanAke,andOscarBobbgiveGuardiolaoptions,evenifnoneareconfirmedstarters. “We’llsee.Someplayersarebetter,”washistypicallyopaqueresponse.

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Meanwhile,thelikesofRicoLewisandJamesMcAteewillbeeagerforinclusionaftertheirWembleyomissions.Withuncertaintyinwidepositions,playerssuchasSavinhoandJeremyDokumayfindtheirplacesunderpressure.

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ManCitypredictedlineupvsBournemouth

PredictedXI:Ederson,Nunes,Dias,Gvardiol,O’Reilly,Gonzalez,Gundogan,Bernardo,DeBruyne,Marmoush,Haaland

Doubts:Rodri,Kovacic

Injured:Ake (ankle),Bobb (thigh),Stones (thigh)

MatchDetails

Time:8pmBST,Tuesday20May2025

Venue:EtihadStadium

Watch:SkySportsandNOW

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