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An email! “As the City players check their wrists for British Summer Time,” says Peter Oh, “they’re cruelly reminded about not getting new watches this season.”
Pep speaks
Pep Guardiola knows the importance of this game, says Mark Pougatch. Cut to Pep being interviewed. The first question is about how his team feel, coming back to Bournemouth. Pep pauses, then smiles that smile of his – two parts friendly, one part menacing. Finally, he answers. “Nothing special.”
He’s more forthcoming when asked about Andoni Iraola. “He is proving how excellent how he is. [Bournemouth are] fantastic to watch, so intense. He did very well in Spain with Vallecano and now he’s done very well here.”
Pre-match reading. Will Unwin on City, the state they’re in and the big names that may not be there much longer.
The winners will play Forest
The semi-final draw has already taken place, for reasons that are hard to fathom. The winners of this game will meet Nottingham Forest, while the other semi is Crystal Palace v Aston Villa. All these teams might fancy their chances against the City of the past four months … but if you look through the lens of Wembley experience, City could still be the favourites.
Teams in full
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1) Arrizabalaga; Cook, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Soler; Christie, Adams; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Evanilson.
Subs: Dennis, Dango, Smith, Jebbison, Hill, Scott, Silcott-Duberry, Akinmboni, Winterburn.
Man City (4-2-3-1) Ederson; Nunes, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Kovacic; Silva, Foden, De Bruyne; Haaland.
Subs: Ortega, Lewis, Reis, Gonzalez, O’Reilly, McAtee, Marmoush, Grealish, Doku.
Teams in brief: Pep goes for old
Pep Guardiola goes back to his old soldiers – Gundogan, De Bruyne, Kovacic, Silva. And he’s not starting a winger, so it looks as if De Bruyne could be on the left.
Preamble
Afternoon everyone and welcome to the last and biggest of this year’s FA Cup quarter-finals. The last time Manchester City went to Bournemouth, on 2 November, the result was that the tectonic plates of English football began to shift.
City were top of the league with seven wins from nine games, while Bournemouth were muddling along in mid-table. But it was Bournemouth who won the match, 2-1, and Liverpool who took over at the top as City fell from their pedestal like a deposed dictator. They lost their next three games and never looked forward. From that day to this, City have scraped just seven more league wins and have been the 13th-best team in the land – even worse than Man United.
The FA Cup is the only trophy left that Pep Guardiola can grab from the wreckage. His new-found losing habit has yet to reach this competition, obviously – but then all three of his opponents have been from the lower divisions and two of them, Orient and Plymouth, still succeeded in taking the lead. Bournemouth, even with two stars suspended (Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen), even after five games without a win, should set a much stiffer test. Pressing hard and pouncing on nervous defenders, they’re just the kind of team City now struggle to withstand.
It’s a sunny day, it’s the south coast, it’s British Summer Time … it’s a 4.30 kick-off that will feel like 3.30. So do stay with us.
