Man City backed to see off injury crisis and offer emphatic response to Tottenham setback

Manchester City make the trip to Bournemouth this weekend looking to maintain their place at the top of the Premier League table.

City are unbeaten in the Premier League so far but head to the South Coast on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

They also make the journey south in the midst of an injury crisis and Guardiola will hope to be able to put out a team that is still good enough to emerge from the Vitality Stadium with three points.

With that in mind, here's a look at how the leading pundits think City will fare against Andoni Iraola's side.

READ MORE: Man City's unwanted role in Man United's Ruben Amorim appointment could be welcome distraction

READ MORE: How Man City could line up vs Bournemouth as three players drop injury hints

Paul Merson

The former Arsenal star and Sky Sports pundit told SportsKeeda: "Bournemouth are decent at home, so this is a difficult game for Manchester City.

"Even though they are not playing at their best, City are winning games at the moment. They lost to Tottenham in the league cup during midweek but played a team with so many changes and it shows where their priorities lie this season. Champions League, Premier League, that's what they want.

"They are definitely missing the creativity of Kevin De Bruyne. The absence of Rodri has also affected them since he allowed them to get higher up the pitch very quickly. With all due respect to Mateo Kovacic, he's more of a ball-carrier rather than a quick passer like Rodri and that has taken its toll on the team.

"You don't get extra points for winning 5-0 or 6-0, so it's fine for now since they are getting the results. I expect that to continue again this weekend."

Merson's prediction: Bournemouth 0-2 Man City

Chris Sutton

The former Celtic forward told BBC Sport: "This is another hard one to call. Manchester City's performances just have not been there of late, but they are still finding a way to beat teams every week and I am not sure what is going to be different this time.

"I don't think this is going to be easy for City, who are missing a few players though injury, but you have to remember how good they are at getting over the line in games like this.

"So, although I am backing Bournemouth to score, I still expect City to edge this one. Southampton, Wolves and Fulham have all run the champions close recently, and all of them still lost. It could be the same story for the Cherries, too.

"They are likely to be a lot more ambitious than Saints were at the Etihad Stadium, and that could suit City. Bournemouth are a team who get plenty of shots off and we saw what they did to Arsenal a couple of weeks ago, but that will leave more space for Pep Guardiola’s side."

Chris Sutton's prediction: Bournemouth 1-2 Man City

Mark Lawrenson

The former BBC pundit told Paddy Power: "Manchester City are not at their best but they’re still winning every game aren’t they?

"Bournemouth had a good result at Villa. I think City will win this but Bournemouth is a tricky place to go even though they only get 12,000 in there."

Mark Lawrenson's prediction: Bournemouth 0-2 Manchester City