Manchester City's Bench Surprise Against Bournemouth: Álvarez and De Bruyne benched

For the first time this season in the Premier League, Julian Álvarez finds himself on the bench for Manchester City. He’s there alongside Kevin De Bruyne, who was an unused substitute against Brentford.

Hello, hello, hello and welcome to coverage of Manchester City’s visit to Bournemouth. With Liverpool busy trying to win their first gong of the season, City have a chance to narrow the gap between the top two to just a point. A trip to the Vitality, then, is one they’ll relish: they’ve never lost to Bournemouth, with the reverse fixture at the Etihad earlier in the season a Jérémy Doku-inspired 6-1 demolition. Andoni Iraola’s side, by the way, are still waiting for their first league win of 2024 – they’re up against history, old and new.

I’ll be here to take you through it all. Send in your thoughts, queries, title-race predictions, song requests, who you’re backing at the Oscars, whatever you fancy. Kick-off is at 5.30pm GMT.