Man City v Aston Villa preview, predictions & confirmed XIs

This will be Manchester City’s first home game since the 2-0 humbling by Wolves a couple of weeks ago and Villa arrive on the back of three unbeaten looking to take advantage.
Pep Guardiola will hoping their 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace will be the start of a winning run following an uncharacteristic performance against Wolves.
They will have to be at their best in order to see off a Villa side that have suddenly found some confidence having put together a decent run of three games without defeat in the Premier League.
Dean Smith’s men recovered from defeat against Arsenal with a 2-2 draw at home to Burnley before back-to-back wins against Norwich – an emphatic 5-1 victory – and a tightly fought 2-1 win against Brighton at Villa Park.
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The Champions have it all to do and will not want to drop any more points as they bid to chase down the six-point gap between themselves and Liverpool that already exists at this early stage of the campaign.
Manchester City have dropped five points at home after four matches, two more than they did in the whole of last season and Pep Guardiola has never lost back-to-back home games in his managerial career – a record he will be looking to protect on Saturday.
Villa will be a tough opponent but there are no easy games in the Premier League – something City are finding out this season more than usual.
When is Man City vs Aston Villa and where can I watch live?
Competition: Premier League
Venue: The Etihad Stadium
Date: Saturday, 26 October 2019
Kick-off: 12:30 PM BST
TV coverage (UK): BT Sport 1.
Last five meetings: Man City vs Aston Villa
04 October 2014: Aston Villa 0-2 Man City (Premier League)
25 April 2015: Man City 3-2 Aston Villa (Premier League)
08 November 2015: Aston Villa 0-0 Man City (Premier League)
30 January 2016: Aston Villa 0-4 Man City (FA Cup)
05 March 2016: Man City 4-0 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Aggregate Score: Man City (WWDWW) 13-2 Aston Villa (LLDLL)
Ones to watch
Man City: Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling has by far been Manchester City’s top performer this season. The former Liverpool man has been in excellent form for both club and country and Villa will need to be careful.
With six goals and an assist already to his name, the England international has been in scintillating form and looks like he will create chances every time he gets the ball. This could be another exciting season for Sterling and he remains the jewel in Man City’s crown.
Key stat: Raheem Sterling is the club’s leading scorer this season with 12 goals in 13 appearances.
Aston Villa: John McGinn
The former Hibs midfielder has gone from strength to strength since signing for Villa and he’s continued to get better with every passing game since Dean Smith’s side won promotion to the Premier League.
He is tenacious, driving Villa forward from midfield while also proving to be a goal-scoring threat from deeper positions. The 25-year-old is being linked with a move away from Villa Park in January and his 3 strikes and one assist in nine games suggest that any such move would command a very high fee for the Scot.
Key stat: No player has had more shots in the Premier League this season than John McGinn (30 – level with Sergio Aguero).
Confirmed teams
Man City
Rodri picked up what looked like a hamstring injury against Atalanta in the Champions League and is out.
Defender Oleksandr Zinchenko is facing a spell on the sidelines after having knee surgery. He has flown out to Spain for treatment.
John Stones makes his first start since September, a very welcome sight for both City and England fans.
Both Leroy Sane and Aymeric Laporte are not due to return until the new year.
How we line-up against the Villa! 💪
XI | Ederson, Cancelo, Fernandinho, Stones, Mendy, Gundogan, Silva (C), De Bruyne, Bernardo, Sterling, Jesus
Subs | Bravo, Walker, Aguero, Angelino, Mahrez, Otamendi, Foden
⚽️ @haysworldwide
🔵 #MCIAVL #ManCity pic.twitter.com/MoXdSeoCWl— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 26, 2019
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Aston Villa
This game has come just too soon for James Chester, Jonathan Kodjia and Kourtney Hause.
Jota continues to recover from a hernia operation, while Douglas Luiz and Trezeguet return to the starting line-up.
Team news, presented by @etoro…
Two changes as @dg_douglasluiz and @Trezeguet come into the starting XI.#AVFC #PL pic.twitter.com/mXOLVTL7cv
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 26, 2019
Squawka prediction
Despite Aston Villa’s recent good form, they are historically poor when facing City on the road. In fact, City have beaten the Villans in nine successive Premier League home games by an aggregate score of 30-4 last losing to the Birmingham-based club in April 2007.
The omens are, therefore, pretty good for Pep’s side and although they have not been the unbeatable force they were last season, you’d still expect them to get the win in this one.
Scoreline prediction: Man City 3-1 Aston Villa