Guardiola: Bournemouth Trip Like Dentist Visit for Man City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has warned his team that Tuesday’s Premier League trip to Bournemouth will be akin to a visit to the dentist, as the match could determine the destination of the title.

Bournemouth sit sixth in the table, four points behind league leaders Liverpool with a game in hand, and are pushing for a first-ever Champions League qualification. They are unbeaten in 16 league matches.

While Bournemouth have had more than a week to prepare, City were in action Saturday, beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Guardiola drew the dental analogy to underscore the difficulty of the challenge.

“I often use it as an analogy for how difficult it is,” the manager said.

He outlined what makes Andoni Iraola’s team so challenging. “They don’t let you breathe. When a team is so intense, always when fatigue comes due to the amount of games, they can reduce this tempo a little bit, but with 10 days to prepare, I expect an intense team.”

Guardiola hopes results against Bournemouth and then at home to Aston Villa on the final day will secure the title. Arsenal finish their campaign at Crystal Palace.

“I wouldn’t say Aston Villa is easy – in fact completely the opposite – but we would love it if on Sunday our people can come at 3pm and maybe what happens at Selhurst Park will be nice,” Guardiola said. “So we will try to extend it and keep the hope that we can win the Premier League again.”

The Etihad Stadium’s expanded North Stand will open for Villa’s visit. With Saturday’s FA Cup win giving Guardiola his 17th major trophy in a decade at City, he was asked about suggestions a stand be named after him. “They don’t have to do anything,” he said. “The important thing is when you are an old grandfather, you can laugh at the memories.”