Premier League: Manchester City out to build on clean start

The Premier League season is only four games old, but ahead of Saturday’s home game with Bournemouth, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City already appear the team to beat.

Last weekend’s impressive 2-1 derby win at Manchester United left City with the only 100 per cent record in the division and they followed it up with a classy 4-0 Champions League victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The Gladbach game was held back 24 hours due to a ferocious rainstorm on Tuesday, but Ilkay Gundogan, who made his debut in Wednesday’s rearra-nged fixture, does not believe it will have an adverse effect.

Sergio Aguero was City’s match-winner against Gladbach with a hat-trick — his second in the Champions League this season — but he is suspended for Bournemouth’s visit.

Kelechi Iheanacho, a goal-scoring replacement for Aguero against Gladbach, is expected to take the Argentine’s place at the tip of the attack.

David Silva is due to miss out after sitting out the Gladbach game with an unspecified minor injury.

Eddie Howe’s Bour-nemouth registered their first win of the campaign last weekend by edging West Bromwich Albion 1-0.

United will hope to bounce back from their derby defeat and Europa League loss at Feyenoord when they travel to Watford in one of four games taking place on Sunday.

United captain Wayne Rooney and full-backs Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw were left out of the mid-week trip to the Netherlands with a view to Sunday’s game at Vicarage Road.

Defending champions Leicester City should have a spring in their step again when they welcome Burnley.

Arsenal, who visit Hull City on Saturday, will draw encouragement from their 1-1 draw from their mid-week trip to Paris Saint-Germain despite being outplayed for much of the game.