Manchester City will look to end their three-match winless run in the Premier League when they square up against Aston Villa away from home.
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa will look to build on their incredible start to the new season when they host Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at home. Villa will look to return to winning ways after having played out a draw in their last outing while City will to end their winless run.
Villa are currently fourth in the Premier League with 29 points out of their 14 matches. They have won nine of their fixtures and have only suffered a total of three defeats so far. Emery has transformed them into a winning side, he took charge mid-way through the season last time out and helped them finish seventh. And, now looks determined to finish in the top four.
While City are not in the best of forms, they are going to be a big challenge for Emery’s team. Villa are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. They were not at their best against the Cherries but still managed to come out with a point thanks to Ollie Watkins’ late equaliser. They will still be confident heading into this fixture against City.
Meanwhile, the defending champions have failed to win any of their last three league outings. They have played out a draw against Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. Guardiola’s team will be heading into this fixture on the back of a controversial 3-3 draw against Spurs. They were very close to all three points but a late equaliser by Dejan Kulusevski spoiled the party.
Despite having failed to win in their last three outings, City will be confident of their chances and they will go all out for all three points. They are currently third in the league with 30 points out of their 14 matches. The defending champions have a points advantage over the home team and will look to further extend it with a win in this fixture. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Unai Emery will be without the services of Bertrand Traore, Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings. Meanwhile, Boubacar Kamara is back in the mix after serving his suspension. Emery is expected to go ahead with the 4-4-2 formation, where Emiliano Martínez will be in goal. Ezri Konsa and Lucas Digne will be the full-backs.
They will look to support Diego Carlos and Pau Torres, who will feature in the heart of the defence. The back four will try their best to keep a clean sheet against one of the most dangerous attacks in world football.
Leon Bailey and John McGinn will provide width to their attacks as they will feature out wide in the centre of the park. The duo will also look to help out their full-backs against City’s dangerous wide players.
Boubacar Kamara will pair up with Douglas Luiz will take charge in a more central role. They will look to ensure City do not end up dominating the ball too deep in the opposition half. Meanwhile, in attack, star striker Ollie Watkins will have the support of Moussa Diaby.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Bailey, Kamara, Luiz, McGinn; Diaby, Watkins
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola will be without the services of Kevin De Bruyne for this fixture. There are no fresh injury concerns for the Spanish manager, but he will be without the services of Jack Grealish and Rodri, who are suspended following the accumulation of yellow cards.
0-💯 counter-attack! 🔥😮💨
Take a bow, @BernardoCSilva 👏 pic.twitter.com/YjOzcxEB19
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 4, 2023
Summer signing Mathues Nunes has missed their last three outings but could return for this fixture. Meanwhile, Guardiola will stick to the 3-2-4-1 formation where Ederson will be in goal.
Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake will form the back three. The trio will look for a clean sheet having conceded way too many goals in their last three league outings.
Manuel Akanji and Mateo Kovacic will be the double pivot in front of the back three. Width to their attacks will be provided by Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku will start out wide on the flanks.
Bernardo Silva and Julian Alvarez will feature in a more central role. The duo will look to dictate the pace of the game and also look for their star striker Erling Haaland who will start up top.
Probable Lineup (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake; Akanji, Kovacic; Foden, Alvarez, Bernardo, Doku; Haaland
Key Stats
- Manchester City have been winless in their last three Premier League outings. The first time it has happened since 2017.
- Aston Villa have won 17 of their last 18 home games in all competitions.
- Pep Guardiola’s team have the best attack in the league having scored 36 goals in their 14 matches.
- Villa do not have that good a record against Manchester City as they have failed to win any of their last 13 Premier League meetings.
- The home team have only won one out of their last 12 top-flight games played on a Wednesday.
Player to Watch
Bernardo Silva
Silva might not always have the limelight on him because of the big-name players in and around him. But, he is one of the most important players for Pep Guardiola’s team. The 29-year-old is the one who runs the show for City.
The Portuguese international has featured in 11 Premier League matches so far and has contributed towards six goals. He will look to add to his tally when he squares up against Villa as City look to end their winless run.
Prediction
Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester City
Aston Villa have been in sensational form in the ongoing season and they will be confident of their chances heading into this fixture against the defending champions but they might have enough in their tanks to go past the team in blues.
Meanwhile, Manchester City might have failed to win in any of their last three league outings but they will be eager to get it right against Villa. Pep Guardiola is expected to go all-out attack to secure all three points and they do have the much-needed depth to get things back on track. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the visitors.
