The final midweek games of the Premier League season come on Tuesday night, with Manchester City hosting Bournemouth.
Man City haven’t yet clinched Champions League football, and they’ll need to bounce back from their FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace as they aim to ensure a top-five finish. For Bournemouth, meanwhile, this could yet be their best-ever campaign.
To preview the action, here’s our pick of the facts and stats…
Manchester City v Bournemouth (Tuesday, 8pm BST)
Saturday’s FA Cup final loss means that, for the first time since 2016/17 – Pep Guardiola’s first campaign in charge – Manchester City will end the season without silverware.
The eight-time Premier League champions have no time to stew over their Wembley disappointment, though; they’ve still got work to do to secure Champions League qualification for next term.
With Chelsea and Aston Villa both winning on Friday, City come into this game in-hand one place and point outside the Premier League top five, in which they must finish to take their place among Europe’s elite for the 15th year running.
Given their superior goal difference, a draw at the Etihad Stadium would take Guardiola’s side up to fourth – above Chelsea and Villa – but it goes without saying that they’ll want three points to make the final-day trip to Fulham as low-pressure as possible.
City are unbeaten in eight league games, winning five, but they were frustrated at rock-bottom Southampton last time out, having to settle for a 0-0 draw despite registering 26 shots.
As for Bournemouth, who won November’s reverse fixture 2-1 but were beaten by the same scoreline at home in March’s FA Cup quarter-final meeting, an historic first-ever European qualification is still a possibility if they finish eighth, as explained by Dale Johnson of ESPN.
And even if it doesn’t end up getting them into Europe, eighth in the top flight would represent the highest league finish in the Cherries’ 126-year history.
Andoni Iraola’s men lost 1-0 at home to Aston Villa in their last outing, but they have a remarkable recent away record: they’ve suffered just one defeat in 13 on the road – winning seven of those games, most recently 2-1 at Arsenal earlier this month.
