Surprise package Bournemouth test their mettle at Etihad

Who would have bet on Bournemouth sitting second in the Premier League table and looking down on Manchester City?

Yet, that’s exactly the situation as Andoni Iraola continues to turn his south-coast side into one of the most organised and dangerous teams in the league.

However, at the Etihad Stadium, City remain overwhelming favourites. Bournemouth have defied the odds several times already this season, but this will be their toughest challenge yet.

Defenders Alex Jimenez, Veljko Milosavljevic, Marcos Senesi and Adrien Truffert face the daunting task of containing City’s goalscoring phenomenon, Erling Haaland. Behind him, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden are capable of dismantling any defence.

City’s defensive setup — with Tijani Reijnders marshalling midfield and a back line of Josko Gvardiol, Rúben Dias, John Stones and Matheus Nunes — will make life difficult for Bournemouth’s attacking trio of Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo and Eli Junior Kroupi.

The midfield battle could decide this game. Alex Scott and Tyler Adams will look to outplay Reijnders and feed their forwards, while Pep Guardiola is keen to see City bounce back from their disappointing 1-0 loss to Aston Villa last weekend.

With Arsenal pulling clear at the top, Guardiola won’t want to waste an opportunity to cut the gap — or to bring Bournemouth back down from their dizzying heights.

Liverpool v Aston Villa

Liverpool in seventh place — who would have believed it? Liverpool and Aston Villa have 15 points, separated by goal difference. They are looking to climb toward the European places.

After Unai Emery’s Villa disposed of Manchester City last weekend, confidence is sky-high. Meanwhile, Arne Slot’s Liverpool are struggling through a miserable run of four consecutive defeats.

Villa striker Ollie Watkins will again lead the line, supported by John McGinn and Morgan Rogers, though the absence of Emi Buendía through injury is a setback. Still, Villa’s back line — Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne — protected by Emi Martínez, remains one of the toughest in the league.

Even Haaland couldn’t find a way through last week.

Liverpool’s defence, by contrast, looks fragile. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have struggled for consistency, Conor Bradley is yet to fill Trent Alexander-Arnold’s boots and Milos Kerkez has yet to hit last season’s form. Slot knows another poor defensive showing could spell more pressure from the Kop.

Emery’s men are chasing a fifth straight win, while Slot’s Reds are desperate to avoid a fifth straight defeat. Something has to give — and Anfield could be a cauldron of tension come kickoff.

Tottenham v Chelsea

A classic London derby with huge implications for the top six.

Tottenham sit third in the table, while Chelsea lie ninth — but just three points separate them. Both teams know a win could define their early-season trajectory.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has made it clear: “Our priority is to beat Tottenham. That’s how we climb back up.”

Following their 2-1 home loss to Sunderland, Maresca will field his strongest 11. Joao Pedro’s form has dipped, but Liam Delap returns from a hamstring injury and could make an impact from the bench.

Alejandro Garnacho, who scored against Sunderland, looks set to keep his place on the left wing, alongside Pedro Neto and Marc Guiu in attack. In midfield, Moises Caicedo — in fine scoring form — will battle Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur.

For Spurs, coach Thomas Frank has focused on sharpening his attack. Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus and Brennan Johnson have looked lively, but the goals have recently come from unlikely sources — defenders Micky van de Ven (two) and Pape Matar Sarr in last weekend’s win over Everton.

Chelsea boast a strong record against Tottenham, winning their last four meetings. Maresca would likely settle for a draw, but Frank is targeting nothing less than victory as he looks to cement Tottenham’s place among the top four.