Wednesday night sees Aston Villa make the trip to Manchester as City look to continue their push for the Premier League Title. Villa in contention for the Champion League spot, battling with Spurs to finish fourth and won’t be willing to concede any points. Despite how depleted City were in the away fixture, Aston Villa was in the driving seat that game and this won’t be an easy three points to pick up.

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Starting Point

Notable Injuries:

• Manchester City are without Nathan Ake (calf), Kyle Walker (Hamstring) and Ederson (thigh). John Stones likely to appear on the bench but not start. Grealish in contention to start.

• Aston Villa are without Ollie Watkins (hamstring), Emi Buendia, Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara, Jacob Ramsey and Matty Cash. John McGinn misses out, serving the last game of his suspension.

Interesting Stats:

• Manchester City have won 17 of their last 18 Premier League home games against Villa (L1), including the last 13 in a row since a 2-0 defeat in April 2007.

• Aston Villa won the reverse fixture 1-0 in December, having 7 shots on target to the 2 by City. 2.38xG created to the 0.65 of City. A game that saw a midfield of John Stones, Rico Lewis and Julian Alvarez.

• Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last five Premier League away games (W3 D2). Their last defeat on the road was in Manchester, against United (3-2). Longest unbeaten run away from home in the Premier League since 2009.

Man City vs Aston Villa Preview

Premier League

General Thoughts:

• How much rotation is needed by Manchester City in this game, with Palace Saturday morning and Madrid next week. If you want De Bruyne rested for the Madrid game then I think Palace is this better option of the two. Foden has had his share of rest lately so I wouldn’t include him on that list but Bernardo might be one Guardiola wants to rest for Madrid.

• Guardiola favors starting players against their former clubs and with Grealish needing minutes in his legs before playing away to Madrid this is the perfect game for it. Then look for Doku/Bobb to come in against Palace.

• No real room for rotation in the back four but I would expect Stones to come on in the second half if capable. Starting to bring him back into the fold, start against Palace and be ready for the Madrid away leg. Lewis proved himself against Arsenal and Gvardiol will be seeing a lot of the ball again.

• Ortega to start whilst Ederson out injured and brings no concerns around him. Stable and calm despite the pressure in these recent games.

• The one takeaway from the Arsenal game was City not taking enough risk in the final third. Not having a cutting edge and being ruthless with their chances. We’ll need that against Villa if they want to wrap up the game comfortably and not be fighting into injury time for a win. Also to give them some room for rotation in the final twenty minutes.

• Bobb/Doku/Alvarez all real possibilities to start in this game and the Palace one, depending on who is needed for a rest and given how poor City were in the final third against Arsenal. Alvarez and Bobb, who both didn’t come on against Arsenal will take that risk.

• Kovacic may well start this game but I think at home the struggle won’t be keeping the ball but rather putting it in the net. Rico in possession can sit alongside Rodri but to add Kovacic would take off a player that makes the difference in the final third.

Opposition Setup:

• Villa will be without quite a few key players but that won’t stop them pushing forward with the same style of play. Despite a depleted City side, the win at Villa Park will give them plenty of confidence heading into the game.

• Aston Villa usually apply high pressure in the opposition half whilst remaining very compact and keeping high defensive line. Similar to Arsenal this season. Wingers coming inside and one midfielder jumping up on the opposition DM. Downside to this is if City can keep their wingers and full backs wide in the buildup, that’s the space to exploit.

• For Aston Villa when building up, Watkins working with Diaby is a big loss for them. Gives plenty of options to play more direct in the pair but Duran can still offer that to a lesser extent. Luiz dropping deep with Carlos and Torres and both wingers coming inside. That gives Villa options between the lines and then the full backs have the space on either flank to progress the ball.

Ones to Watch: 

• Manchester City: Jack Grealish came on to try make a difference against Arsenal, has had an up and down season for a number of reasons but is still seen as a vital part of this team when on form. Now’s the time to show it.

• Aston Villa: Douglas Luiz is the one to keep an eye on in this game, very much the leader when it comes to the press and buildup sequences for Villa. City cannot allow them to get into any sort of rhythm in the game.

Predicted Lineup: Ortega, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodri, Bernardo, De Bruyne, Foden, Grealish, Haaland

Predicted Score: Man City 3 - 1 Aston Villa

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