Manchester City have fluffed their lines at the Etihad Stadium on five different occasions this term, with the champions having failed to beat five opponents at home. Liverpool and Arsenal are among the teams who have come away from this fixture with a draw and it’s not out of the question that Aston Villa can land a positive result here.
The Cityzens were unable to find a breakthrough against the Gunners last weekend, with Pep Guardiola admitting that Liverpool were now the title favourites. This is a verdict echoed by the bookmakers, although a victory against Aston Villa will keep the north-west giants in the hunt to become champions again.
Much depends on chance creation, with Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne hoping to be the supply line that provides the goals for Erling Haaland, with Manchester City facing opponents who were able to land a deserved 1-0 success at Villa Park in the reverse fixture. Unai Emery’s side will be looking to keep things tight in this one too.
The draw could be a lively runner and the Villans have only lost four times on the road in fifteen clashes this term. We think that goals could once again be low on the ground and the big negative for the visitors is that star striker Ollie Watkins is out injured with a hamstring injury and this could swing the game in favour of the champions.