PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester City vs Aston Villa Preview

Tomorrow evening, Manchester City take on Aston Villa at home in the Premier League. With only a point separating these two teams, you can expect an exciting fixture as the two teams vie for a chance to compete in the Champions League next season. 

Manchester City head into this fixture on the back of a 2-0 win against Everton this weekend in the Premier League, and a 5-2 win against Crystal Palace the week before. The Citizens have been in excellent form recently, after winning four out of five of their most recent fixtures. In fact, the only time they have lost out was to Manchester United in the Manchester Derby at the beginning of this month. They have only suffered nine losses in total this season, with the most recent drop in points being to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League (who they will face in the semi-final of the FA Cup this Sunday). Their top scorer so far this season is Erling Haaland - who has scored twenty-one of their sixty-four goals so far this season - but he is unfortunately out with an ankle injury that will likely leave him sidelined until mid-may this year. City will certainly be vying to keep their spot towards the top of the table in order for a chance to play in the 2025/26 Champions League. 

The visitors, though three places behind on the Premier League table are only one point behind the Citizens, meaning that this fixture could allow the Villains to cause some change to the top of the table. After being knocked out of the Champions League by Paris St Germain last week, there is certainly going to be a thirst to prove that they are worthy of taking part in the league next season, meaning they must overtake City in points, as only the top five teams will qualify for the Champions League. Their only recent loss was to PSG, where they lost 3-1, and their other four most recent matches have all been victories, most notably their 4-1 victory at home against Newcastle this weekend. Striker, Ollie Watkins, expressed his annoyance at being benched in their Champions League fixtures, but his brilliance shone through in their victory, with him garnering a goal in the first minute of play and an assist later in the second half. 

Head-to-head, these two teams are well versed in one another’s playing styles. The Citizens have won 45% of their previous clashes, but most recently the Villains have won two out of three of these fixtures. In spite of this, Manchester City are a force to be reckoned with at home, having won their last 14 Premier League games scheduled at home, meaning the Villains will have to put pedal to the mettle in order to walk away with some points. 

If you’re not attending tomorrow’s match at the Etihad Stadium, the match is available to watch on Sky Sports, with kick-off at 8pm!