Man City to Face Bournemouth in Carabao Cup
Blues prepare for third round match of League Cup
Table of Contents
Opponents revealed
We now know Manchester City will face Bournemouth in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
The Cherries earned their place in the next round by beating Crystal Palace in a thriller 11-10 on penalties.
Perfect record
On paper some may say City got a break avoiding Crystal Palace to instead draw Bournemouth who were relegated into the Championship division this past season.
Another reason for the City faithful to be optimistic is the head-to-head record between the Blues and the Cherries.
In 16 matches dating all the way back to 1987, Man City have never lost to Bournemouth winning 14 and drawing two.
The Blues have won the last ten encounters against the Cherries.
Facing his old team
The storyline will undoubtedly be City defender Nathan Aké facing his former club for the first time.
The Dutchmen made 121 appearances for the Cherries in four seasons with an 87.6% passing accuracy last season.
His play at Vitality Stadium or Dean Court drew interest from other clubs for years before City finally swayed him into signing a five-year-deal this summer.
Four in a row
Pep Guardiola recently remarked that he’d prefer to win the Premier League saying the “Carabao Cup is not the same”.
While it’s not their top priority City could join some elite company with a fourth consecutive triumph.
If they can win it again that would tie City with Liverpool for most all-time Carabao Cups with eight.
They would also tie Liverpool for most consecutive Cup wins.
Liverpool won four in a row from 1981-84, including two replays in that time.
How they match up
Despite being relegated after five Premier League seasons Bournemouth’s squad is still relatively unchanged.
Asmir Bergovic remains in goal, Steve Cook is still at the back as well.
Up front Norwegian Joshua King alongside Englishmen Callum Wilson are still young and can cause trouble for even Premier League defences.
New manager Jason Tindall should ease into the role seamlessly having been Eddie Howes assistant for years.
For City they will no doubt look to test an inexperienced back line at Bournemouth who will miss the presence of Aké in central defence.
The big question marks for both teams is at the back and we will find out who will crack when they face off.
Details
The third-round match will take place Thursday September 24, just three days after City opens their EPL campaign against Wolves.
Kick-off at Etihad Stadium will be at 7:45pm. (JSL)
