Manchester City v AFC Bournemouth

Enzo Maresca takes charge of Manchester City’s first home league match of the post-Guardiola era against Marco Rose’s Bournemouth.

City finished second in 2025/26; Bournemouth finished sixth and qualified for Europe under Andoni Iraola.

Manchester City have dominated this fixture to a degree that makes the recent record more interesting than the historical one. Counts vary by source — one lists 26 meetings with 22 City wins, one draw and one Bournemouth win; another counts 20 with 18 City wins — but every version tells the same story.

The recent record is where it gets less comfortable for the home side. In their last six meetings across all competitions, City have won four, drawn one and lost one. Bournemouth have taken points off City twice in that span, including a win at the Vitality Stadium.

And the most recent meeting matters more than any of the historical totals: Bournemouth drew 1-1 with City in May 2026, and that result ended City's title challenge and confirmed Arsenal as champions. The two sides meet again on the opening weekend, at the Etihad, with City under a new manager.

• Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester City — Premier League, May 2026. The draw that ended City's title chances and crowned Arsenal champions.
• Manchester City 3-1 Bournemouth — Premier League, November 2025.
• Manchester City 3-1 Bournemouth — Premier League, May 2025.
• Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester City — FA Cup quarter-final, March 2025.
• Bournemouth 2-1 Manchester City — Premier League, November 2024. Bournemouth's most recent win over City.
• Note: months are given rather than exact dates where sources differ. Scorelines and order are consistent across every source checked.

Last season's league record, as a baseline rather than a prediction.

Manchester City finished 2nd in 2025/26 on 78 points (23W 9D 6L, 77 scored, 35 conceded). AFC Bournemouth finished 6th in 2025/26 on 57 points (13W 18D 7L, 58 scored, 54 conceded).

BRYME is not publishing home-only and away-only splits for these sides yet. Those figures exist but have not been reconciled against an official source here, and a split quoted from memory is exactly the kind of number that quietly becomes wrong. The overall records above are verified against the final 2025/26 table; the home and away breakdowns will be added when sourced.

Provisional: Rodri was listed as out after surgery, with Bournemouth’s Julio Soler and Lewis Cook carrying muscle concerns. Recheck before kick-off.

No suspensions affecting either side have been confirmed for this fixture at the time of writing.

This is a statement about what has been confirmed, not a guarantee that both squads are fully available. Bans carried over from last season and any late disciplinary decisions are checked again on matchday, and this section is updated if that changes.

Maresca’s control principles face a high-pressing Bournemouth identity; City’s midfield structure without Rodri is central.

The supplied packet frames this as a transitional City side without Rodri against a Bournemouth side adapting from Iraola to Rose.

Bournemouth are the underdog, and the numbers make the case less lopsided than expected.

They finished 6th on 57 points with a positive goal difference and — the number that stands out — 18 draws, comfortably the most in the division. That is a side extremely hard to beat and not especially good at winning. City finished 2nd on 78 with the division's best attack at 77 goals.

A team built on not losing, away at a side in the first competitive league match of the post-Guardiola era under Enzo Maresca, is a more awkward opening fixture than City would have chosen. Maresca's first outing ended in a 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, which raises the temperature on this one rather than lowering it.

City’s attack should carry them, but the transition and Rodri absence narrow the usual home advantage.

Manchester City 2–1 Bournemouth