Manchester City's title defence takes them to Dean Court on Saturday as they face Bournemouth looking to overhaul the one-point gap which separates them from Liverpool at the top of the table.

Victory would move them above the Reds until Sunday at least, but City were far from their best as they scraped past West Ham United in midweek courtesy of a Sergio Aguero penalty.

Raheem Sterling was initially rested for that match just three days after going to extra time and penalties in the EFL Cup final, but he was called upon 10 minutes into the second half as Pep Guardiola searched for the breakthrough - which soon came.

Sterling will be hopeful of returning to the starting lineup against a Cherries team that conceded five against Arsenal in midweek, and here Sports Mole looks at his incredible past record against Eddie Howe's side.

Sterling has scored more goals against Bournemouth than he has against any other club in his career, netting 10 in just eight appearances against the Cherries across all competitions.

That includes eight goals - and two assists - in just six Premier League meetings with Bournemouth, and his strike in the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium saw him become the first player in Premier League history to score in his first six appearances against a single opponent.

The last five of those games have seen Sterling score exactly once in each - in addition to notching his two assists along the way - but it was his first ever league meeting with the Cherries which he will remember most fondly, netting a hat-trick in a 5-1 win back in October 2015.

The England international also faced Bournemouth twice during his time with Liverpool, scoring twice in an EFL Cup win but drawing his only blank against these particular opponents in a 2013-14 FA Cup tie.

One constant throughout his past meetings with Howe's side has been wins, though, with Sterling ending up on the victorious team on all eight occasions that he has faced them in his career.