Eddie Howe talks up Bournemouth’s chances

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe says his team have a chance of upsetting champions Manchester City when they meet on Sunday. The Cherries have made a solid start to the campaign and are unbeaten in their first two league games.

After drawing with Sheffield United on the opening day, Howe’s men then beat Aston Villa at Villa Park last weekend.

They welcome City to the south coast after their draw with Tottenham and Howe believes his team can pull off an upset.

He told reporters on Friday: “The two games against Manchester City last season were pretty strong. We felt we were competitive without showing our best. I’d like to think we are getting closer.

“Raheem Sterling has done well against us in recent seasons; he’s an outstanding talent. You look through their team, and they’ve got so much quality so we’ll have plenty of players to keep quiet.

“A big thing for us will be the crowd. The players bounce off the crowd, and we’re really hopeful of a good atmosphere to help us on Sunday.” City, who started the campaign with a 5-0 win over West Ham, beat Bournemouth 1-0 and 3-1 last season.

They are as short as 1.20 to win this weekend, with the draw 7.00, while Howe’s troops are 13.00 to secure all three points at the Vitality Stadium.

Bournemouth face Leicester City before the international break, and Howe is hoping his team have learned their lessons from last season.

They made a fast start before falling away, but they are 29.00 to secure a top-six finish this time around.