After a fantastic draw away in Lyon on Tuesday night, Manchester City are flying. They come into this one in fine form, knowing they should be in the perfect condition to defeat a Bournemouth side with a poor record against the big clubs.

For much of the early season, Eddie Howe and Bournemouth were spoken up to excess. Now, with three losses on the spin, the Cherries are in danger of being crushed. Can they do anything to stop City here? With a City side unbeaten and scoring goals for fun, this could be a major mood-changer for Bournemouth.

City News

The Citizens come into this one with a mostly full-strength side. Expect to see the disappointing Riyad Mahrez miss out, with Raheem Sterling likely put back into the front three. Fernandinho will play alongside David Silva again most likely, with Sergio Aguero continuing his lethal form up-front.

At the back, Fabian Delph will likely continue on at left-back after some decent performances there in the absence of Benjamin Mendy. With Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus and Kevin de Bruyne notable absentees, though, we could see young Phil Foden get some game-time.

Bournemouth News

Jeffersen Lerma has impressed so far in the Premier League, but he misses this one with suspension. Adam Smith will be out for a while, too, which is quite a blow for the away side. Expect to see Dan Gosling step into the middle of the pitch, with Lewis Cook adding extra energy in a bid to slow down the City tide.

Verdict

Hard to say, but we can’t see anything other than a City win – the challenge is how many they will win by. City are vicious at the moment, and Bournemouth will likely feel the wrath of a side disappointed to only draw midweek.

Manchester City had a momentous season, marching to their third premier league season in a truly remarkable fashion. City dominated the division for the vast majority of the season, breaking numerous records along
the way. Their win of the title was confirmed on April 15, 2018 when rivals Manchester United lost to West Bromwich Albion.

Pep Guardiola’s men set new records, including the highest number of points to clinch the title. They hit an unprecedented 100 points. They also had the most away points, 50 in total, and the highest number of
points ahead of the second team (19). City also boast the most wins of any team in the division, the highest number of goals, the best goal difference, the largest share of away position, the most consecutive wins on the road and the fewest minutes losing. It’s a season that City fans will want to remember for many years.

Sergio Aguero had a stellar season, with his 178th goal over Napoli on November 1 surpassing Eric Brook’s tally to make him the club’s all-time top scorer. Pep Guardiola’s first ever silverware came on February 25 when City beat Arsenal at Wembley to lift the 2017-2018 EFL cup. The premier league trophy was the club’s second double in just four years and cements City’s dominance in England. They have a fantastic squad, with Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane, David Silva, Kyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus and Ederson all having sparkled throughout
the season.

It appears as if City will still dominate the 2018/2019 season in the premier league. They are one of the best sides in Europe at the moment, have a top coach and some of the best players on the planet. Indeed, if they continue to play like they are, it’s not difficult to see City as serious contenders of the Champion’s League come next season.

After a game against Juventus that made one of European footballs most aristocratic clubs look decisively second-rate, Manchester United need a pick-me-up. The draw against Chelsea was a confidence builder until Ross Barkley scored with the last kick to seal a point for both sides. Can United get back to winning ways at home against an Everton side who are beginning to look pretty decent?

Everton are slowly but surely picking up form, with a late win against Crystal Palace extending their decent run further. If they get a result here, though, it’d be a defining moment for Marco Silva. Can they?

Manchester United News

With only one loss in their last six things are improving slowly for United. However, they have scored a meagre 15 goals so far while they have conceded an alarming 13. Sitting down in 10^th place, their top scorer, Lukaku, with 4, has not scored for a while now.

Their only truly decent performer so far this season has been Luke Shaw, with Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba impressing in small spurts. United boast a decent record at Everton, though, and will be hoping that some of their more imperious performers can pick it up here.

Everton News

The Toffees are beginning to hit a decent run of form, with Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson beginning to produce better performances with regularity. With three wins on the spin now, they are beginning to look a bit more of a threat going forward.

If they can keep that up whilst cutting down on their concession rate at the back – 12 in 9 – they should have belief coming into this.

Verdict

We can see this being a score draw. Everton are feeling confident, whilst United can play well in small bursts: we cannot call a clear winner, but can see Everton posing them a threat similar to the threat Wolverhampton Wanderers did not too long ago. United, though, are becoming a touch more resilient and that could stop Everton getting all three points.

When the season started, Tottenham knew they would have to do a lot to equal or better their previous season in which they finished second with 86 points. This season they finished third with 7 fewer points. Harry Kane
fired 30 goals to send Tottenham into their third consecutive top four finish, ensuring that they will play in the Champions league come next year. Mauricio Pochettino’s men will be unhappy to have surrendered an impressive lead against Juventus in the Champions league last 16, although their ability to turn around
a late season dip in form and secure a top four position with a game in hand was a remarkable achievement. The team also reached the semi-finals of the FA cup and the fourth round of the Carabao cup.

Tottenham’s top players were consistent again this season, with Harry Kane, Delle Alli, Heung Min-Son and Christian Eriksen all playing vital roles in the team. Defensively, the team came only third best in the
division, although Danny Rose and Toby Alderweirld were absent for long stretches. Eriksen had an outstanding season in the midfield and will hope to continue the same come 2018-2019.

Some of the memorable performances for the team include their 3-1 win against Real Madrid during their game in the Champion’s league, which showed that they can compete with the elite in Europe. Their loss to
Manchester United in the semifinal of the FA Cup, on the other hand, was arguably the worst day of their campaign.

Tottenham will be impressed by their achievements this season though, especially given the fact that they’ve playing away from White Hart Lane. They might have dropped down one position, but given the circumstances, it was still a remarkable achievement for them. Next season should be better for them as they’ll be playing at their new stadium. That said, Tottenham will still need to invest more in the squad to mount a title challenge next season.