
Another of Sunday’s fixtures sees Manchester City visit an ‘up and down’ Aston Villa side. With the Birmingham side having had such a poor start to the season, manager Unai Emery and his players have received a lot of criticism for their lack of clinical edge, having wasted countless chances in important moments. Manchester City, whilst still flying high in the table, have also proven to be unpredictable at times, however their league form of late has been outstanding. City are unbeaten in all competitions, since their defeat to Brighton at the Amex Stadium, at the end of August.
Matthew O'Regan has his best bets and predictions.
Although their early season form was unstable, City’s response since the turn of September has been impressive. Since their last league defeat, they have managed 4 wins and 1 draw in 5 league games. The draw coming away to Mikel Arteta’s outstanding Arsenal side. Man City have not yet quite rediscovered the luxurious style of play that they have displayed in previous years, but have instead found a ruthless, dynamic rhythm that is making them very difficult to manage.
Guardiola’s men portray a different profile to the one they have been known for during his tenure. City boast one of the most physically imposing squads in the Premier League this year and have proven to be robust from back to front. The inevitable Erling Haaland appears to be in as good form as we have seen him in, something that will concern Villa’s coaching staff. Aside from City’s goals, the introduction of Italian giant, Gianluigi Donnarumma has seemed to give City a new feeling of security. His excellent performances of course have aided City, however his huge experience and character alone may have boosted their defensive solidity in recent weeks. Not the goalkeeper that Villa would choose to face amid poor goalscoring form.
Villa have been a mixed bag at home this season, after a 0-0 draw with Newcastle on the opening day and failing to score in their opening 4 Premier league games, Villa were also swatted aside with ease by Crystal Palace, at Villa Park. The side showed impressive grit to turn their season around during September and October, however, having won 5 games on the bounce before Thursday’s poor display against Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League. Villa captain, John McGinn, spoke critically of their inability to capitalise on chances at 1-0 up. This lack of cutting edge led to Villa fans witnessing one of their most infuriating defeats in recent times. Unai Emery will look to forget this performance and inflict a surprise assault on their East-Mancunian opponents.
In their previous 6 Premier League meetings, the two clubs have been hard to separate. City coming away with three wins, Villa with two wins and only one draw between them. Villa will surprise many fans if they manage to score more than one goal in this fixture though, given their poor goalscoring stats and City’s excellent defensive performances of late. If Emery’s men are to have a chance of winning, they must be clinical. Villa are capable of creating chances, but the real question is can they punish any rare Manchester City errors or will they be overpowered by their viscous offensive force?
With Aston Villa being shocked by Go Ahead Eagles in midweek, they will be keen to avenge themselves against a rampant Manchester City. Let's look at the Premier League betting odds.
Manchester City look hard to stop at the moment. Pep Guardiola's side sit second with 15 points and last lost against Brighton in August. Since then, The Citizens have won six games and drawn two. Villa are also on an upsurge of form, but midweeks loss in Netherlands exposed some weaknesses for Unai Emery's side.
Prediction: Man City Win @4/5 Betmgm
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