Aston Villa vs Manchester City Predictions

To expect a clean sheet for either side would be a naive prediction to make. But it’s a tough one to call out a clear winner. Both teams have been inconsistent of late. This clash could end in a stalemate. You can add goal-goal to your ticket.

Match info: Premier League

Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham

Date: Saturday, 21^st December 2024

Time: 1:30 pm Nigerian time

Seeking a way out of their mid-season malaise, Premier League champions Manchester City will visit Aston Villa on Saturday to try to revive their ailing title defence.

Following last week's dramatic derby defeat, City have lost five of their last seven league games; meanwhile, Villa's recent revival was halted by a late collapse last time out.

Head-to-head:

• Aston Villa have won just 8 of the 48 Premier League meetings between the teams.
• Manchester City have recorded 30 victories.
• The remaining 10 clashes ended in draws.
• Man City have not won in the last 2 visits to the Villa Park.
• 9 of their last 10 meetings produced at least 2 goals.

Form:

• Aston Villa in the league: D-L-W-W-L
• Aston Villa in all competitions: L-W-W-W-L
• Man City in the League: L-L-W-D-L
• Man City in all competitions: L-W-D-L-L

Team News:

• Aaron Ramsey, Tyron Mings, and Leon Bailey remain sidelined for Aston Villa.
• For Manchester City, Rodri, Nathan Ake, Ederson, Ruben Dias, Oscar Bobb, and Manuel Akanji will all miss out due to injury.

Player(s) to watch:

• Jhon Duran has started just five games and has already bagged 11 goals. Calling him a “super-sub” feels like selling him short because he started in the last match, and bagged the only goal for the Villans against Forest. Unai Emery might have a very good problem with Duran firing and Ollie Watkins in the mix too.
• Josko Gvardiol has turned into a full-back machine channelling his inner Marcelo. The way he has been creating chances up front and scoring them at will is applaudable. He is the second top-scorer for Manchester City this season, only behind Erling Haaland, of course, after he nabbed the sole goal in the lost Derby match last week.