Manchester City vs AFC Bournemouth Preview

Manchester City host AFC Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, 23rd August 2026, as both sides open their Premier League campaigns.

City’s pre-season form has been inconsistent. Their most recent outing ended in a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield. Prior to that, they beat Atl. Madrid 3-1. Before that, they won 3-1 away against K-League Stars. Earlier in this run, City lost on penalties to Inter after a 1-1 home draw. Their sequence began with a 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa. Across these five matches, City have won two and lost three, with a heavy defeat to Arsenal their most recent result heading into the new season.

Bournemouth’s build-up has been considerably stronger. Their most recent outing ended in a 2-1 defeat away at Mainz. Prior to that, they drew 2-2 at home with Betis. Before that, they thrashed Genoa 10-1 at home. Earlier in this run, Bournemouth won 5-2 away at Augsburg, and their sequence began with a 4-1 home win over St. Pauli. Overall, Bournemouth have won three, drawn one and lost one across their last five, with a huge win over Genoa the highlight of their preparations.

The head-to-head record favours Manchester City, who have won three of the last five meetings, with one draw and one win for Bournemouth. Most recently, the two sides drew 1-1 away at Bournemouth. In the previous encounter, City won 3-1 at home. City’s edge in this fixture, combined with home advantage, gives them the stronger platform heading into the new campaign.

With the season yet to begin, both clubs currently sit level on zero points, zero goal difference and zero matches played, meaning this is a fresh start for both regardless of contrasting pre-season form. City’s defensive form has been a concern throughout the summer, conceding in four of their last five matches, while Bournemouth have shown they can be prolific going forward, scoring heavily against both Genoa and Augsburg. That contrast in defensive solidity versus attacking output could shape an open contest at the Etihad.

City’s attacking options remain considerable, with Haaland leading the line and Foden and Doku providing support from wide areas, while Bournemouth will look to Rayan and Evanilson up top to test a City defence that has looked vulnerable in recent outings. Both sides have shown they can find the net freely, suggesting goals at both ends is a real possibility.

In Great Britain and Ireland, the match is live on Sky Go UK, NOW and SKY GO Extra, with additional coverage on Sky Sports Main Event. In the United States, viewers can catch the action on USA Network. In Germany, the game is available on Sky Go and Sky Sport Premier League.

Possible Lineups 

Manchester City (4-2-3-1)
Donnarumma, Khusanov, Rúben Dias, Marc Guehi, Gvardiol, Anderson, Kovacic, Semenyo, Foden, Doku, Haaland

Bournemouth (4-2-3-1)
Petrovic, Smith, Hill, António Silva, Truffert, Cook, Scott, Rayan, Kluivert, Tavernier, Evanilson

Manchester City Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Arsenal	3-0	Manchester City	CS	16.08.26
✅	Manchester City	3-1	Atl. Madrid	CF	09.08.26
✅	K-League Stars	1-3	Manchester City	CF	05.08.26
❌	Manchester City	1(1)-1(3)	Inter	CF Pen	01.08.26
❌	Manchester City	1-2	Aston Villa	PL	24.05.26

AFC Bournemouth Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Mainz	2-1	Bournemouth	CF	15.08.26
🤝	Betis	2-2	Bournemouth	CF	08.08.26
✅	Bournemouth	10-1	Genoa	CF	04.08.26
✅	Augsburg	2-5	Bournemouth	CF	30.07.26
✅	Bournemouth	4-1	St. Pauli	CF	24.07.26

Head-to-Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Bournemouth	1-1	Manchester City	PL	19.05.26
Manchester City	3-1	Bournemouth	PL	02.11.25
Manchester City	3-1	Bournemouth	PL	20.05.25
Bournemouth	1-2	Manchester City	FAC	30.03.25
Bournemouth	2-1	Manchester City	PL	02.11.24

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Great Britain	Sky Go UK, NOW, SKY GO Extra, Sky Sports Main Event
Ireland Republic	Sky Go UK, NOW, SKY GO Extra, Sky Sports Main Event
USA	USA Network
Germany	Sky Go, WOW, Sky Sport Premier League
Spain	DAZN Spain
France	Canal+ Foot, myCANAL
Australia	Stan Sport
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada
Portugal	DAZN Portugal
Japan	U-NEXT

POS.	TEAM	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P
1	Arsenal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Aston Villa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Chelsea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Everton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Fulham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Liverpool	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Manchester City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Manchester United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Newcastle United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Sunderland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Tottenham Hotspur	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Coventry City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	Crystal Palace	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	Hull City	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15	Ipswich Town	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	AFC Bournemouth	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	Leeds United	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
19	Nottingham Forest	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
20	Brentford	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0