Manchester City are aiming to end their Villa Park hoodoo when they visit Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
The Cityzens have failed to win any of their last three trips to the venue, defeated by Unai Emery’s side across the last two seasons, but they enter this year’s fixture in encouraging form after winning seven of their last nine across all competitions. They’re currently just three points behind league leaders Arsenal having recovered from an uncertain start to the campaign.
City were comfortable winners during their midweek European clash, beating Villarreal 2–0 courtesy of first-half goals from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva. The former has been truly devastating this season, failing to score in just one match and producing a total of 24 goals for club and country.
Villa have the unenviable task of shackling the inevitable Norwegian and enter the clash in low spirits after their shock Europa League defeat to Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday. A rotated team were beaten on their trip to the Netherlands, bringing a winning streak of five matches in all competitions to a close.
The Midlands side will have to be much more stubborn on Saturday than they were in Deventer if they want to upset the odds and climb into the top half of the table.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to this Premier League clash.
What Time Does Aston Villa vs. Man City Kick Off?
- Location: Birmingham, England
- Stadium: Villa Park
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 26
- Kick-off Time: 2 p.m. GMT / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT
- Referee: Michael Oliver
- VAR: John Brooks
Aston Villa vs. Man City Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Aston Villa: 2 wins
- Man City: 3 wins
- Draws: 0
- Last meeting: Man City 2–1 Aston Villa (April 22, 2025) - Premier League
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch Aston Villa vs. Man City on TV, Live Stream
Aston Villa Team News
Villa have a relatively healthy squad at their disposal for City’s visit, but they are missing the influential Youri Tielemans in midfield. The Belgian tempo-setter is unlikely to return to action until after the November international break following a calf injury sustained in mid-September.
Andrés García will miss out this weekend, too, while Lucas Digne is a significant doubt after sitting out the clash with Go Ahead Eagles due to an ankle injury he picked up at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Emery is likely to name a starting lineup similar to the one that toppled Spurs last Sunday, although Ollie Watkins could be recalled in place of Donyell Malen. The Englishman started midweek, but has struggled for goals this term.
Evann Guessand scored his first Villa goal midweek and could continue on the right-hand side. Ian Maatsen will replace the injured Digne, with Morgan Rogers, John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash among those who should start after only being used as substitutes in the Netherlands.
Aston Villa Predicted Lineup vs. Man City
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs. Man City (4-2-3-1): Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Onana; Guessand, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins.
Man City Team News
Pep Guardiola has confirmed City will be without Rodri and Abdukodir Khusanov for the journey to Villa. The former is a big miss having been absent since the October international break, while the latter is struggling with an ankle injury sustained back in September against Arsenal.
With Rodri missing for the Cityzens, Guardiola will hope to have Nico González available. The Spaniard suffered a foot injury against Villarreal midweek and will have to be assessed closer to kick-off this weekend.
Guardiola will likely make changes from the team that beat Villarreal, with Tijjani Reijnders, Phil Foden and Nico O'Reilly coming back into the team.
Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki have recently returned from injury issues and will hope to push for starts in the coming weeks, but whether they can feature from the off against Villa remains to be seen.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Aston Villa
Man City predicted lineup vs. Aston Villa (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Kovačić; Silva, Reijnders, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
Aston Villa vs. Man City Score Prediction
Villa have a strong recent record against City on home soil, but Emery’s team have struggled to replicate the high standards forged across previous campaigns. They still look below their best in both halves.
Haaland will look to capitalise on any uncertainty in Villa’s defensive unit and his presence alone makes City undeniable favourites this weekend. The eight-time Premier League champions are in confident mood and could finally end their Villa Park curse.
Villa will fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet, but City should have too much power for their hosts.
Prediction: Aston Villa 1–3 Man City
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aston Villa vs. Man City: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.