"They just get the job done" - Mark Lawrenson makes Manchester City claims while predicting Bournemouth clash result
Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson has predicted the result of Manchester City's Premier League trip to Bournemouth on Saturday (February 24).
The Cityzens are coming off a 1-1 league draw at home to Brentford in midweek, trailing leaders Liverpool (60) by four points but have a game in hand. Pep Guardiola's side returned to winning ways after a 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea in the league had snapped their 11-game winning run across competitions.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth are coming off a 2-2 league draw at Newcastle United last weekend. They are 13th in the standings with 28 points, eight clear of the drop zone.
In his prediction column for Paddy Power, Lawrenson has predicted a 2-0 win for City:
"I’ll go for a comfortable Manchester City win here. Everyone said they were a bit fortunate in the week against Brentford, but they just get the job done. They just prove that you don’t always have to play spectacular football to win matches."
The Cityzens are alive in three different competitions as they seek an unprecedented Premier League four-peat as well as back-to-back trebles.
"I would like to score more" - Manchester City boss
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has said that he would like to see his side score more following their rather laborious win in midweek.
Ahead of the clash at the Vitality, the Spaniard also noted that it's important to maintain a balance between attacking and defending, elaborating (as per City's website):
“I would like to score more.We have the creativity to shoot. We should score more. (It is also) important to say how many chances we concede. “As much you create and less you concede you are all the time closer to winning the game.
“To do that, you have to play better. We create more and concede less than the opponent; this is good analysis. Afterwards, you can still lose, but you are closer to winning games."
City are leading FC Copenhagen 3-1 from their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg in Denmark. Following the Bournemouth game, they visit Luton Town on Tuesday (February 27) for a place in the FA Cup quarterfinal.