Manchester City will take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, March 25. Can Pep Guardiola’s team put the pressure back on league leaders Arsenal with a win?

City are expected to be without John Stones, as he continues to recover from a thigh injury. The 28-year-old will most likely be back at the beginning of March.

Additionally, Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte are still doubts, having failed to make the squad for City’s midweek Champions League 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig. Both players are currently suffering with an illness – it is unclear whether they’ll be ready to play on Saturday or not.

In their last Premier League game, the Sky Blues floundered to a disappointing stalemate with Nottingham Forest. Despite drawing first blood thanks to Bernardo Silva, Forest battled back and former Newcastle striker Chris Wood netted a late equaliser – in the end, City had to make do with a single point.

Bournemouth, on the other hand, picked up a crucial win in their fight to avoid relegation last weekend as they defeated Wolves at Molineux. They came under significant pressure from the hosts, but a strike from Marcus Tavernier ensured that the Cherries would return home with a massive victory on the road.

The Citizens and Bournemouth played each other earlier in the season at the Etihad Stadium, all the way back in August – and it was a massacre. Manchester City won 4-0, with goals coming through Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and a Jefferson Lerma own goal.

Interestingly, in that game, Bournemouth limited star striker Erling Haaland to just eight touches. Can they keep him quiet once again in the reverse fixture? Or will the Norwegian hitman gain his revenge?