Manchester City will seek to end their three-match winless run in the Premier League when they lock horns with Aston Villa at Villa Park on Wednesday’s night.
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa will also want to build on their incredible start to the new season by returning to winning ways after playing out a draw in their last outing.
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 since 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.
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.
Head-to-head
– Aston Villa haven’t beaten Manchester City in 15 competitive games since a 3-2 Premier League home win in September 2013 (D2, L13).
– Man City have only lost seven of the 46 Premier League meetings, winning 29.
Aston Villa
-Unai Emery’s side can equal the club record of 14 successive home league wins, set in 1903 and matched from December 1930 to October 1931, both in the top flight.
-Villa have won their opening six home matches in a top-flight season for the first time since 1932-33, when they began with eight straight victories at Villa Park.
– Their total of 22 Premier League victories in 2023 is only bettered by the 26 for Manchester City. Villa haven’t won more top-flight fixtures in a calendar year since equalling the club record of 24 in 1931.
-City have drawn three top-flight games in a row and could equal their longest winless league run under Pep Guardiola of four matches from March to April 2017.
-They have conceded 10 goals from the 19 shots on target they faced across their past four matches in all competitions.
– Manchester City have not kept a clean sheet outside of Manchester since beating Burnley 3-0 on the opening Premier League weekend of the season.
Nonetheless, they have amassed an unrivalled 83 Premier League points in 2023, nine more than next-best Arsenal prior to the midweek fixtures and 11 clear of Villa in third.