Semenyo Excited For Bournemouth Return As City Chase Victory

Former AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo is expecting an emotional reunion when Manchester City travel to the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday night in a match with huge implications at both ends of the Premier League table.

City arrive on the south coast still chasing Arsenal in the title race, while Bournemouth continue their push for a historic European qualification place under Andoni Iraola. With both sides carrying major ambitions into the closing weeks of the campaign, Tuesday’s clash promises to be one of the standout fixtures of the season.

The spotlight will naturally fall on Semenyo, who only left Bournemouth in January but has already become a key figure at the Etihad Stadium. The Ghana international scored the winning goal in City’s FA Cup final victory over Chelsea at Wembley, continuing a remarkable few months which have also seen him nominated for the Premier League’s Player of the Season award.

That nomination is recognition not only for his impact at City, but also for the sensational first half of the campaign he produced with Bournemouth. Semenyo scored 10 Premier League goals in just 20 appearances for the Cherries before his £62.5 million switch to Manchester, helping establish Iraola’s side as genuine contenders for European football.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News ahead of of his return to the Vitality Stadium, Semenyo joked that he may have been "the problem" behind Bournemouth’s strong form since January, while admitting he is still in regular contact with several members of the squad.

"I am happy they are doing so well and hopefully they get into Europe too. It's going to be tough. They've got something to fight for so they're going to make it tough for us".

The former Cherries forward revealed his old teammates have already warned him about the reception he can expect on Tuesday night, with plenty of joking threats flying around ahead of the reunion. Despite that, Semenyo admitted he is looking forward to seeing familiar faces again after what he described as a "surreal" few months following his move to the Etihad.

"It won't be weird going back. It'll be good to see everyone again. I still speak to them every day, to be honest, they've been giving me a lot of crap, just like they're going to kick me and this and that but it'll be good to see them all".

For Bournemouth supporters, the fixture presents a rare opportunity to welcome back one of the club’s most exciting modern attackers while also attempting to derail City’s title hopes. Semenyo remains hugely popular on the south coast after developing from a promising Championship forward into one of the Premier League’s most dangerous attacking players during his time at the club.

"It's going to be a tough game", Antoine admitted, "so I'm looking forward to the challenge and hopefully we win."

He then went on to explain his whirlwind of a calendar year so far: "Everything's just happened so quickly. But again, when you come to the team in January, you have to adapt as quick as you can and do the best for the team. So I'm happy I'm doing so".

"I think the last five months have been so intense, so many games and expectations are high. When you're playing around top players, you naturally have to be on your toes and on it every single day. So that's what they give you and they make it easy for you, especially us wingers".

"They are top players getting on the ball, dictating the play, and it makes it easier for us, creates a lot of one vs one situations and that's essentially what wingers want. We bounce off each other every day on the pitch and off the pitch".

"When you have top pros who have won it all essentially, you just learn a lot and it rubs off on you a little bit. We just have to focus on what we're doing and see what happens by the end of next week".

"We'll just focus on us. We're not focused on Arsenal and what they do. We just have to win our games and apply pressure the best way we can."

Tuesday’s encounter could prove decisive for both teams. City know anything less than victory may hand the advantage to Arsenal in the title race, while Bournemouth are desperate for points to keep their European dream alive heading into the final stages of the season.