16′ City get a few more chances on goal. Foden finds Mahrez from wide right and Travers is straight out to block the Algerian’s shot. Rodri’s header from the resulting corner is well wide.
14′ That Torres chance earlier, on second viewing, came from a nice chip over the top from Foden. The young English midfielder is already one of the more experienced players out there for City.
13′ Bournemouth face the wrath of the offside flag once more. Gosling cleverly dummies Billing’s pass inside and it rolls to Brooks who fires into the hands of Steffen. Unfortunately for the visitors, Brooks is offside anyway.
11′ Travers makes his first meaningful save of the game as he denies Torres from a tight angle. You suspect the Bournemouth keeper will have a bit more to do before the game is out.
10′ Rico plays a good-looking pass down the left and Surridge steps in front of Harwood-Bellis. Bournemouth’s striker can’t find the right ball though and Foden soon arrives on the scene to snuff the chance out.
8′ Bournemouth look to beat City’s high offside trap as Smith is sent on his way down the right. The assistant referee eventually raises his flag.
6′ City are looking on top of the game already. As is usual for a Guardiola team, their formation is fluid and barely fathomable.
4′ City win their first corner of the game down the left as Smith puts the ball out of play. Billing puts it out for another City corner which is a little deeper. Eventually Foden volleys well wide.
3′ Bournemouth press City high up the pitch, leading to a lengthy scramble in Man City’s box. The visitors can’t get a clear shot away though and it’s a free-kick to the hosts as Surridge is caught offside.
2′ City get a feel for the ball early on. They give away an early free-kick as Delap commits a minor foul high up the pitch.
1′ The referee Jon Moss blows his whistle. We’re underway here in Manchester!
The two sides are out on the pitch at a chilly Etihad Stadium. Man City are wearing their iconic sky blue shirts and white shorts. Bournemouth will play in their usual red and black striped shirts and black shorts.
Man City may have put out a team full of rookies but they are seasoned pros in the EFL Cup and in beating Bournemouth. City have won their last 15 EFL Cup ties, winning the cup in each of the last three seasons. They’ve also won their last 10 meetings with Bournemouth by an aggregate score of 30-5. Can the visitors spring an upset?
Guardiola names a youthful starting XI as goalkeeper Steffen and Liam Delap, son of Stoke City throw-in hurler Rory Delap, make their City debuts. The hosts have a strong bench to bail them out of trouble if needs be. Bournemouth boss Jason Tindall names a familiar-looking team. Gosling captains the side while Surridge leads the front line.
SUBS: Jefferson Lerma, Gavin Kilkenny, Jordan Zemura, Steve Cook, Jack Stacey, Jaidon Anthony,Asmir Begovic.
BOURNEMOUTH (3-5-1-1): Mark Travers; Lloyd Kelly, Nnamdi Ofoborh, Jack Simpson; Adam Smith, Lewis Cook, Dan Gosling (c), Philip Billing, Diego Rico; David Brooks; Sam Surridge.
SUBS: Cole Palmer, Scott Carson, Nathan Ake, Raheem Sterling, Benjamin Mendy, Kevin De Bruyne, Felix Nmecha.
MANCHESTER CITY (3-4-2-1): Zack Steffen; Kyle Walker (c), Eric Garcia, Taylor Harwood-Bellis; Phil Foden, Rodri, Tommy Doyle, Adrian Bernabe; Ferran Torres, Riyad Mahrez; Liam Delap.
Man City’s visitors here are Bournemouth in what will be these two sides’ first ever meeting in a cup competition. Bournemouth may have just been relegated to the second tier, but their team retains a strong Premier League core. A trip to Burnley in the fourth round awaits the victors. Let’s find out who that’ll be!
Man City enter this season’s EFL Cup as defending champions, having won this competition four times in the previous five seasons. Fresh from a 3-1 away win at Wolves earlier this week, Pep Guardiola will no doubt use this game to give a few of his squad players a go.
Hello! Welcome to our live text commentary of this EFL Cup third round match between Manchester City and Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.
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