Manchester City vs Aston Villa

Etihad Stadium is the venue as Manchester City and Aston Villa go head-to-head in a Premier League top-four six-pointer.

Manchester City’s pursuit of an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title took a tumble at the weekend as Arsenal held them to a scoreless draw at the Etihad Stadium. Despite boasting a 73% possession, Pep Guardiola’s charges have registered their first scoring blank in 2024. But after extending their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 23 games (W19, D4), they’ll be confident of whittling down a three-point deficit on table-topping Liverpool. Arsenal became the first side since Sporting CP to hold Man City at bay at home since May 2022. Yet, the last time Aston Villa shut them out at home was in 2007, while, after winning eight straight home H2Hs, they seem destined to avenge a 1-0 defeat in December’s reverse fixture. It’s no less significant to note they’ve averaged 3.38 goals per game during that eight-game sequence.

In the meantime, Aston Villa bounced back from a two-game winless Premier League run (D1, L1) last weekend, seeing off West Midlands rivals Wolverhampton 2-0 at home to post their 18th league win this season. Despite equaling their win tally from last term, Villa’s first top-four Premier League finish in the 21st century is not a foregone conclusion, as they still have to play each of the top three. In contrast to their perennial struggles at the Etihad, the Lions have yet to lose a competitive away game in 2024 (W4, D4), keeping a clean sheet in half of them (W1, D3). But there’s a legitimate reason for concern, as they have conceded 3+ goals in ten of their last 11 top-flight visits to Man City.