Manchester City will begin the Premier League season at home to AFC Bournemouth on 23 August, with history strongly favouring the hosts at the Etihad Stadium. City have won all nine of their previous home Premier League meetings with Bournemouth, scoring 34 goals and conceding only six.
Kick-off is scheduled for 13:00 UTC (13:00 CEST), with AFC Bournemouth travelling to the Etihad Stadium for the opening match of the campaign.
Manchester City’s record in this fixture has been particularly emphatic on home soil. Across the nine Premier League matches between the sides at the Etihad Stadium, City have averaged 3.8 goals per game. That is their highest average goals-per-match figure in a home Premier League fixture against any opponent.
The overall scoring record also underlines the scale of City’s dominance. They have found the net 34 times in those nine matches, while AFC Bournemouth have scored only six goals. City have therefore outscored Bournemouth by 28 goals across the meetings.
The game will also mark Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League match as Manchester City manager. He will be looking to continue a run established by the club’s previous four managers: all of them won their first league match in charge, including those who held the position on an interim basis.
The last Manchester City manager to lose his opening league match was Mark Hughes. His team began his spell with a 4-2 defeat by Aston Villa in August 2008.
That result remains the most recent example of City failing to win their first league fixture under a new manager. Maresca will therefore start his Premier League tenure with both the club’s strong record in opening league matches and their unbeaten home record against AFC Bournemouth providing the statistical backdrop.
For AFC Bournemouth, the challenge is to end a run of nine consecutive away defeats against Manchester City in the Premier League. The visitors have conceded heavily in those matches, and City’s average of 3.8 goals per game is the highest the club has recorded at home against any Premier League opponent.
The fixture will be the first opportunity of the new season for both teams to turn that previous history into a result on the pitch. Manchester City will be aiming to preserve their flawless home record in this Premier League contest, while AFC Bournemouth will attempt to claim a first victory at the Etihad Stadium in the competition.
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