🏏 Sun, 23 Aug 2026 14:00 BST
Manchester City
vs
AFC Bournemouth
4-2-3-1 vs 4-2-3-1
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- The Etihad hosts the season opener for both Manchester City and Bournemouth. Of the twelve clubs who have already played, Arsenal sit top on three points with a goal difference of plus three, so these two are only now entering the race. Pep Guardiola and Andoni Iraola, managers with sharply different philosophies, have both named a 4-2-3-1 for this head-to-head.
- Antoine Semenyo's reunion with his former club is the headline. The 26-year-old Ghana winger grew into one of the Premier League's most feared attackers at Bournemouth before joining City in the winter of 2026. He attacks the right flank with pace and physicality, and the visitors know his habits better than anyone. He also shares a former club, Bristol City, with Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott.
- Erling Haaland leads the City line. The 26-year-old Norwegian, 195cm and blessed with rare speed for his size, arrived via Molde, RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund and scored 36 goals in his first Premier League campaign. Bournemouth answer with a young central pairing: 22-year-old Portuguese defender Antonio Tavares, who stands 187cm, and James Hill, 24, who became Fleetwood Town's youngest ever debutant at 16.
- City's back line has a fresh look. Marc Guehi, the 26-year-old England international signed from Crystal Palace in the winter of 2026, partners Ruben Dias, the 29-year-old Portugal international voted PFA Player of the Year in 2020-21. Josko Gvardiol, the left-footed Croatia defender who is 24 and came through Dinamo Zagreb and RB Leipzig, plays left, with Abdukodir Khusanov, 22 and the first Uzbek to play in the Premier League, on the other side.
- The pivot is unusually young: Rico Lewis, 21, alongside 23-year-old Elliot Anderson. At 170cm, Lewis is Guardiola's model inverted full-back, drifting from defence into midfield to help circulate possession. Ahead of them, Phil Foden, Nico O'Reilly and Semenyo form the attacking three, with the 193cm O'Reilly, a left-back by trade, taking up advanced positions.
- Bournemouth's attack is led by recent recruits. Evanilson, the 26-year-old Brazilian centre-forward signed from FC Porto for a club-record fee of around 40.2 million pounds after 60 goals in 154 games in Portugal, starts up front. Around him are Rayan, the 20-year-old Brazilian bought from Vasco da Gama for roughly 24.7 million pounds, and Justin Kluivert, the 27-year-old Netherlands international and son of Patrick who has played in all five major European leagues.
- In central midfield Bournemouth pair Scott with Lewis Cook. Scott, 23, arrived from Bristol City for a club-record fee of about 25 million pounds and offers box-to-box running and ball carrying, with the unusual background of hailing from Guernsey. Cook, 29 and at the club since 2016, is a Leeds United academy product and a Under-20 World Cup winner who sets the tempo.
- Both goalkeepers carry real pedigree. City field Gianluigi Donnarumma, the 196cm Italy international who was named player of the tournament at EURO 2020 and won the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain in 2025, now 27 after spells at Milan and PSG. Bournemouth counter with 194cm Djordje Petrovic, the 26-year-old Serbia international signed from Chelsea who was named season MVP during a loan at Strasbourg.
- The right-back duel has its own flavour. Adam Smith, 35, came through Tottenham's academy and has captained Bournemouth since making his move permanent in 2014, a genuine club legend whose positioning must absorb City's pressure down that side. He may well find his former team-mate Semenyo running at him.
- Bench depth could decide the final half hour. City can introduce Rayan Cherki, the 23-year-old named Ligue 1 dribbler of the year, Mateo Kovacic, 32, a veteran of Real Madrid and Chelsea, and Jack Grealish, 30, working his way back from a long lay-off with a broken foot. Bournemouth hold back United States captain Tyler Adams, 27, and centre-back Bafode Diakite, 25, signed from Lille.