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Manchester City take on Bournemouth on Saturday, looking for the victory that will keep them at the top of the league ahead of Liverpool. The blues have been in excellent form at home this season, winning all their league games and are still unbeaten in the league. Bournemouth meanwhile, have won and lost three matches on the road, scoring ten goals and conceding nine.
Saturday’s game will be only the seventh meeting between the two teams in their history, with the blues winning all but one of their previous six encounters at home. The only time the blues have failed to pick up three points at home to the Cherries came in 1989, when City threw away a three goal lead and a golden opportunity at automatic promotion from the second division as Bournemouth scrambled a 3-3 draw.
The first meeting between the two teams in Manchester came in February 1988, when the blues won 2-0 at Maine Road, and City have won the last four matches at home, scoring 15 goals and conceding just two. In total, City have scored 20 goals at home to the Cherries, four times as many as they have conceded – just five. In addition, City have never failed to score at home to Bournemouth.
City and Bournemouth have met three times in the Premier League, with the blues scoring four goals or more in each game – 5-1 in 2015 and 4-0 in both 2016 and 2017. The blues have been 3-0 up at half time on two occasions – 1989 and 2015, while in 2016 City were 2-0 up at half time. In the last three matches, City have scored goal in the 25th, 27th and 29th minute.
The two teams have never met outside the league, with three matches being played in the old second division and three matches in the Premier League. Saturday’s meeting will be the second time the two teams have met in December in Manchester, the first coming last season in the final match before Christmas.
With the odds firmly stacked in City’s favour, will the blues continue their excellent record against Bournemouth, or will the Cherries spring a surprise and put a dent in City’s title challenge?