‘Antoine Semenyo axed amid Liverpool links’ – Bournemouth predicted XI v Man City
Andoni Iraola has some season-defining decisions to make ahead of Bournemouth’s pivotal Premier League clash with Man City.
The Cherries will travel to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday evening (20 May), hoping to arrest their torrid run of form.
Tottenham target Andoni Iraola has worked wonders with a small squad and limited resources this season, and the Cherries boss now been tipped to replace Pep Guardiola at embattled Man City if he pulls off a crucial victory in this clash.
But having won just two of their last 13 games in all competitions, Bournemouth have slipped from fifth down to 11th in the Premier League table.
Having won just one of their last 17 meetings with City, Iraola may be forced to be bold and leave out Liverpool target Antoine Semenyo, with slim hopes of European football still on the table.
Antoine Semenyo dropped after poor showings vs Man City, Aston Villa
As counterintuitive as it may seem, dropping Semenyo may give Bournemouth their best chance of claiming a win over Pep Guardiola’s side.
In their previous meeting in the FA Cup, the Ghanaian was arguably the worst player on the pitch, struggling to get the better of out-of-position midfielder Matheus Nunes.
In more recent games, Semenyo has once again struggled and was a bystander in Aston Villa’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth, and could now be better used as an impact substitute.
As such, Iraola may well lean on wantaway star Justin Kluivert to be his creator-in-chief, with his Ghanaian winger introduced from the bench in the latter stages to be more of a threat to the tiring legs of City’s backline.
In other areas of the pitch, Dean Huijsen will feature in his penultimate game in a Bournemouth shirt, following the confirmation of his move to Real Madrid.
| The battle for 8th place | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points |
| 8. Brentford | 37 | 16 | 7 | 14 | +9 | 55 |
| 9. Brighton | 36 | 14 | 13 | 9 | +3 | 55 |
| 10. Fulham | 37 | 15 | 9 | 13 | +2 | 54 |
| 11. Bournemouth | 36 | 14 | 11 | 11 | +12 | 53 |
The Dutchman will surely be flanked by another Liverpool target in Milos Kerkez, and Illia Zabarnyi, whilst David Brooks could be in line to start his first game since the 2-1 loss to Brighton back in February.
Adam Smith looks likely to retain his place at right-back, allowing Lewis Cook to partner Tyler Adams in the midfielder.
James Tavernier looks likely to be used at left-wing, with his directness and tricky dribbling making him a nightmare for Nunes.
Evanilson will continue up front, following Daniel Jebbison’s unconvincing performances from the bench in recent games, with Kepa Arrizabalaga between the sticks at the other end of the pitch.
Bournemouth still clinging onto European dream
It’s a pipe-dream at this point, but mathematically, Bournemouth can still qualify for European football this season.
Crystal Palace’s shock FA Cup win put a spanner in the works, as their victory over City guarantees them a place in the Europa League.
But, should Chelsea win the Conference League and then finish seventh and Newcastle finish inside the top six, or Chelsea finish sixth and Newcastle seventh, eighth place in the Premier League will qualify for Europe.
The loss to Villa put a dent in those hopes for finishing eighth, until Fulham fought from behind to beat Brentford 3-2 on Sunday (18 May).
With the Cherries having a game in hand on the Bees, a win against City would put them in a strong position, and coming off the back of the loss to Palace, Guardiola’s side are there for the taking.