Bournemouth host Manchester City in a crunch Premier League clash at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday evening, with both sides still chasing big honours as the season draws to a close.
Bournemouth need a win in what will be manager Andoni Iraola's last home game in charge of the club, if they are to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League, without any favours from outside.
City, on the other hand, will play a night after Arsenal's game against Burnley. The title race will go to the last day if City don't lose this game, irrespective of Arsenal's result on Monday night. However, after the high of the FA Cup Final, City will want to close out their season with two wins from their remaining games, whether or not it helps them eventually win the league.
Here's what you need to know ahead of Tuesday's game:
How to watch:
The match will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event in the UK, NBC in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Kick-off time: Tuesday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m. BST (2:30 p.m. ET; 12:00 a.m. IST, Wednesday, and 4:30 a.m. AEST, Wednesday).
Venue: Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Referee: Anthony Taylor
VAR: Jarred Gillett
Injury and Team News:
Bournemouth
Lewis Cook, M: hamstring, DOUBT
Ryan Christie, M: suspended, OUT
Manchester City
Josko Gvardiol, D: leg, OUT
Talking Points:
Manchester City's attack gives them the best chance
Bournemouth might be unbeaten in their last 16 Premier League games, and that run has included a win against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. So, this is going to be a tough game for City, particularly when you consider that they just played the FA Cup final on Saturday, while Bournemouth will be well-rested.
Even as they hope for a favour from either Burnley or Crystal Palace in the Premier League, City do still start this game as the favourites. They had rested the likes of Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki, when they secured a comfortable 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League last Wednesday night, and Cherki then didn't start the FA Cup Final either. Doku has been in sparking form recently, Haaland has been consistently among the goals as well, and Antoine Semenyo's return to the Vitality Stadium will come on the back of a stunning FA Cup winning goal at Wembley.
It's an attack that must be full of confidence at the moment, and against a Bournemouth side that have shown no signs of changing their methods all season, it would be prudent to assume that City will still get chances.
A huge night for Bournemouth's UCL chances
A loss for Bournemouth in this game could still keep them in the hunt to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League, provided Aston Villa win the Europa League, Liverpool beat Brentford on the final day, and then City beat Villa on the final day as well.
As it stands, though, Bournemouth are in sixth, four points behind Liverpool in fifth. A draw in this game would mean they would need to beat Nottingham Forest on the final day and hope for Brentford to beat Liverpool, while also making up a six-goal difference in the process.
So Iraola's side will know that they will need to produce their biggest result of the season at home, to send their fans back happy, and cap off what has been a path-breaking season.
City's outside chance in the Premier League
As they prepare for this game, City are still hoping for a huge favour from either Burnley or Palace in the next week, as they hope for one of those two to take points off Arsenal, to boost Guardiola's men in the Premier League title race.
City must prey on any sense of vulnerability that Arsenal might have, and that will only come through pressure, which will only come if City go through their remaining two games with no hiccups and win them both. This Arsenal side have put together a superb season, but for a group that hasn't won a big trophy yet, the pressure of putting the finishing touches on the season cannot be underestimated.
Guardiola will know that, City will know that, they will have to show that they aren't resting on their laurels after the FA Cup win sealed a domestic cup double..
What a job Iraola has done
When Andoni Iraola took over at Bournemouth at the start of the 2023-24 season, eyebrows were raised, particularly because of who he had replaced. Gary O'Neil had just done a stellar job keeping Bournemouth in the league the previous season, so his sacking wasn't met with approval from all quarters.
Three seasons later, and none of those doubters can have a negative thing to say about the work that Iraola has done at Bournemouth during his stint on the south coast. Whether Bournemouth qualify for the Champions League or not, they're almost guaranteed some sort of European football for next season, and that in itself is a massive achievement for them as a club. That's all down to the sterling job that Iraola has done, and that's why he will receive a sterling reception on the last day he steps out into the Vitality Stadium as Bournemouth manager.
