Manchester City cannot rely on a minor Burnley miracle in north London and will surely need to beat the red-hot Bournemouth to take the Premier League title race to the final day.
They head into Tuesday’s game off the back of securing the FA Cup trophy via a 1–0 win over Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday. Former Cherries star Antoine Semenyo was the hero under the arch, deciding the final with a sublime flick, and he’ll be keen to inspire the Cityzens at his old stomping grounds.
A pair of domestic cups means 2025–26 cannot be labelled a disaster for City, but Pep Guardiola, potentially overseeing his final two games for the club, is a man who craves the most lucrative honors.
Failing to win the league title in back-to-back years will hurt the Spaniard.
Center Back Dilemma After Gvardiol Comeback
Rodri’s comeback from injury for Saturday’s FA Cup final means Manchester City are completely healthy heading into the final week of the season.
However, Guardiola does have a dilemma to consider at center back with Joško Gvardiol available again. The Croatian was surprisingly included in the starting lineup last Wednesday against Crystal Palace before the partnership comprising Marc Guéhi and Abdukodir Khusanov was restored for the final.
The high stakes mean Guardiola is unlikely to tinker too much midweek, and excluding the second-half collapse at Everton, the Guéhi and Khusanov pairing has been brilliant. Rúben Dias also hasn’t had much of a look-in since recovering from his injury.
- ⚠️ Key absentees, doubts: N/A
- 🔢 Predicted formation: 4-2-3-1
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Bournemouth (4-2-3-1)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—James Trafford has a pair of clean sheets in domestic cup finals this season, while Donnarumma has been toiling away in the top flight. He surely won’t be as inactive as he was against the Eagles when City travel down to the south coast.
RB: Matheus Nunes—Guardiola’s alternatives haven’t had a look-in during the final stretch of the season. It’s been Nunes or bust.
CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—Khusanov was excellent in Saturday’s final, with his supreme recovery attributes coming to the fore to stymie Chelsea. He has to retain his spot against this frenetic Bournemouth team that’ll aim to play in behind the visitors.
CB: Marc Guéhi—The defender has steadied himself since his fatal error at Everton, and should retain his spot despite Gvardiol’s availability.
LB: Nico O’Reilly—The youngster’s matchup with Brazilian starlet Rayan could prove decisive on Tuesday night.
CM: Bernardo Silva—The Portuguese international secured his 19th piece of silverware with the club at the weekend, and he won’t let City’s Premier League hopes cease until the very last moment.
CM: Rodri—Having just recovered from a groin injury, Rodri couldn’t get through 90 minutes at the weekend, and it may be a risk starting him again on Tuesday, given the quick turnaround.
RW: Antoine Semenyo—Bournemouth are unbeaten since letting Semenyo walk in January, but the Ghanaian international is nonetheless enjoying himself at his new home. After enduring a lull, Semenyo has come up with the goods in back-to-back games.
AM: Rayan Cherki—The French maestro came on for the second half at Wembley, replacing Omar Marmoush. Cherki has had a relatively quiet couple of weeks, but he‘s never too far away from dazzling the masses.
LW: Jérémy Doku—The tricky Belgian has shone on the road during the run-in. Doku’s been involved in four goals in his four previous away games, including a brace in the chaotic 3–3 draw at Everton.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man City XI vs. Bournemouth: Cityzens Healthy for Crunch Clash—Injury News, Predicted Lineup.
