Manchester City vs Aston Villa: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

Premier League champions Manchester City host Champions League chasing Aston Villa in an intriguing fixture at the Etihad.

Date: 03/04/24

Kick-off time: 20:15

Venue: Etihad Stadium

Pep Guardiola’s side missed the opportunity to move just one point behind leaders Liverpool after they drew 0-0 against Arsenal at the weekend. The result keeps them third, a point behind the Gunners and three from the top. With the quality of both the teams they are competing with, every game feels like a must win from now on. If they were to drop points against Villa, their two rivals could pull away and they will continue to play catch-up.

Villa have enjoyed a fantastic season with Champions League football a real possibility. They are in the driving seat, currently occupying fourth place in the table. However, they are just three points ahead of Tottenham, who have a game in hand, so any dropped points could significantly weaken their chances. A win at one of the hardest grounds would set them up perfectly for the remainder of the season, but defeat could push them back.

Both teams score plenty of goals, as they are third and fourth in the league respectively for this statistic. Away from home, the visitors have scored 25, but may be without top scorer Ollie Watkins, who was substituted at the weekend with an injury. The Englishman has found the back of the net 16 times this season, which is only bettered by one player. That player is City’s Erling Haaland, who has netted 18, and he will be confident in adding to that tally against a defence who have kept just one clean sheet in the last seven. The Villa backline may also have a tough time containing Kevin De Bruyne, who has recorded five assists in seven appearances against them in his career.

Man City have been dominant in this fixture, losing just once since 2014. This includes a huge nine-game winning streak between 2016 and 2022 in all competitions. However, their one defeat came in the reverse fixture earlier this season at Villa Park. The game ended 1-0 as Leon Bailey scored a 74th minute winner. Aston Villa have only won twice at the Etihad, once in the Premier League and another time in the League Cup.

Man City

Kyle Walker missed the Arsenal clash after picking up an injury away on international duty. Nathan Ake was substituted at the weekend with an injury, so his availability is in doubt. Ederson may make a return.

Aston Villa

Matty Cash picked up a thigh injury on international duty which could keep him out for two-to-three weeks. John McGinn will serve the final of a three-game suspension for a red card he received against Tottenham. Ollie Watkins may be a doubt.

Man City

In their last five games, Man City have won three and drawn two. The current Premier League champions are in good form as they look to retain their crown. Their most recent outing was a home fixture against fellow title challengers Arsenal, in what was perhaps the biggest league game remaining. The game ended goalless as the points were shared.

This followed a 2-0 win over Newcastle in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup prior to the international break. A first half brace from Bernardo Silva ensured they progressed to the semi-final where they will face Chelsea. The final scoreline flattered the Magpies as City dominated throughout and restricted them to just two attempts.

Another huge fixture in the title race ended honours even as Man City and Liverpool drew 1-1 at Anfield. John Stones had given the visitors the lead midway through the first half, but the tense affair resulted in the points shared as Alexis Mac Allister converted from the spot after goalkeeper Ederson took out Darwin Nunez in the box.

City advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League as their focus shifted to European action against Copenhagen. Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez gave them a two-goal lead in the opening 10 minutes before Erling Haaland added a third following the visitor’s response. Their 3-1 win meant they won 6-2 on aggregate. The first game of this stretch was a 3-1 derby win over their neighbours Man United. Marcus Rashford gave the Red Devils an early lead with a phenomenal strike, but Phil Foden hit back with an excellent finish of his own shortly after the restart. He completed his brace to give them the lead, and Haaland put the game to bed in stoppage time.

Aston Villa

In their last five games, Aston Villa have won two, lost one and drawn two. This stretch began with European action, as they took on Dutch side Ajax in the first of two legs in the Europa Conference League Round of 16. The first leg in the Netherlands ended goalless, with minimal chances for either side as they mustered a combined two shots on target. Each team had a man sent off late on as both Esri Konsa and Tristan Gooijer saw red.

They advanced to the quarter-finals with an emphatic 4-0 victory in the second leg at Villa Park. Ollie Watkins gave them the lead in the 25th minute, and this was doubled by Leon Bailey 15 minutes into the second half. Sivert Mannsverk was dismissed for the visitors, and Villa responded by adding two more through Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby.

Between these two ties was a damaging 4-0 home loss to Tottenham. James Maddison broke the deadlock shortly after the restart, before Brennan Johnson immediately tacked on another. Villa’s task of coming back was made more difficult when John McGinn was sent off, and Spurs scored twice in stoppage time to complete the rout. They followed this with a 1-1 draw away at West Ham, their final game before the international break. Michail Antonio put the hosts in front, but Nicolo Zaniolo rescued a point with just over 10 minutes to go. Villa dominated the ball, but could not find a winner. Their most recent outing was a home derby against Wolves. They were 2-0 winners as Diaby and Ezri Konza got on the scoresheet.

Villa have a dreadful record at the Etihad and this is most likely to continue. They will pose a far bigger threat than they have in the past, but will find a City team locked in an intense title race too much to overcome – Man City 3-1 Aston Villa

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Man City vs Aston Villa will be available to watch on TNT Sports 1.

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