Manchester City v Bournemouth: Premier League matchweek 1 preview and team news
Manchester City will host AFC Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on August 23 in their Premier League matchweek 1 fixture of the 2026-27 season. The game will be Manchester City’s first league match under new manager Enzo Maresca.
City arrive following a 0-3 defeat to Arsenal in the FA Community Shield, a match in which they had the majority of possession but failed to score and produced an underwhelming defensive display. Bournemouth prepared for the season with three pre-season friendlies, beating FC St. Pauli 4-1, drawing 2-2 with Real Betis and losing 1-2 to Mainz 05.
The preview notes that "The 26-year-old will have an important role to play in the final third for Manchester City. He will be up against his former club and it can become a high-pressure game for him." It also states: "Antoine Semenyo was the top player for the Cityzens in the final third and will be looking to step up his game now. He can be deployed on either of the flanks and is going to be a constant threat to the visitors."
Evanilson was Bournemouth’s lone scorer in the 1-2 friendly loss to Mainz 05 and completed six goals during the last Premier League campaign, according to the preview. The article adds that he is expected to start as the sole striker against Manchester City’s defence.
Squad availability for Manchester City includes the absence of Jérémy Doku due to a calf injury, while Matheus Nunes is back in training and "the rest are all okay," according to Maresca. The piece also mentions that Savinho and Marmoush are linked with a transfer to Tottenham and reproduces Maresca’s quote: "At the moment, the only one [unavailable] is Jérémy Doku. Then Matheus [Nunes] is back. The rest are all okay."
Bournemouth will be without Julian Araujo and Junior Kroupi through injury, and Ryan Christie is suspended. The preview lists Valijko Milosavljevic, Tyler Adams, Amine Adli and David Brooks as not yet confirmed due to fitness concerns.
Projected lineups provided in the article are: Donnarumma (GK); Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Anderson, Kovacic; Cherki, Foden, Semenyo; Haaland for Manchester City, and Petrovic (GK); Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Cook, Scott; Rayan, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson for AFC Bournemouth.
The preview concludes that Maresca faces a significant test, with Manchester City holding a slight edge at home and Bournemouth expected to offer strong resistance; the prediction given is Man City 2-1 Bournemouth. For viewers in India the match will be available on JioHotstar and the Star Sports Network.
