Manchester City – Aston Villa
One point separates Manchester City and Aston Villa – 58 to 57 points, fourth against seventh. The Villans triumphed 2-1 in the first leg, but since then Pep Guardiola has had to improvise: Haaland, Ederson, Rodri, Aké and Stones are all missing, which is why talents such as Nico O’Reilly are stepping in. Unai Emery, on the other hand, is traveling with his chest puffed out, fresh from a 4-1 win over Newcastle and with almost a full squad. City is faltering, Villa is storming ahead – ideal ingredients for a duel that will reshuffle the Champions League cards.
Man City – Aston Villa info
- Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
- Date and time: 22.04.2025, 21:00
- Competition: Premier League (matchday 34)
Man City form & record check
City are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games (four wins, one 0-0 draw against United). The 2-0 win at Everton was in line with recent performances: patient and without conceding a goal after the break. The same pattern was seen in the 5-2 win against Palace. However, when Kevin De Bruyne is not pulling the strings, the team sometimes lacks pace in the final third. Youngster O’Reilly offers hope, while Haaland replacement Marmoush has already scored four times in this phase.
Predicted City line-up (4-3-3): Ortega – Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Khusanov – Nunes, Gündoğan, De Bruyne – Doku, Marmoush, Sávio. Ederson, Aké, Akanji, Stones, Haaland and Rodri are still out. This means that the creative burden will fall more heavily on De Bruyne, while talents such as Khusanov and O’Reilly are waiting in the wings.
Aston Villa form & record check
Aston Villa are riding a wave of success: five wins from six competitive games, including 4-1 against Newcastle, 3-0 at Southampton and 2-1 at Forest. Ollie Watkins (15 goals this season) scores almost at will, and the team has been successful in attack in each of its last five matches – mostly with more than two goals. The only flaw: in the final quarter of an hour, the team has often conceded a goal when it has slowed down the pace. Nevertheless, the Villans are still in the race for the top flight with 57 points.
Expected Villa lineup (4-2-3-1): Martínez – Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen – Kamara, Tielemans – McGinn, Rashford, Rogers – Watkins. Emery has few absences; alternatives such as Torres or Onana could rotate at short notice, but the core remains unchanged.
H2H Man City – Aston Villa Head-to-head & statistics
The last five head-to-head matches ended evenly: two wins each and one draw. Striking: both teams always scored, and City always conceded at least one goal. Villa won the most recent meeting in December 2024 2-1, while City won 4-1 in April 2024. In short: goals are almost guaranteed.
