Man City faces-off Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium for the battle of Champions League qualification spot tonight (Tuesday).
Just three points separate Nottingham Forest in third (Nuno Espirito Santo’s side climbed up four places after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Monday night), Aston Villa in seventh, with Newcastle United, Man City and Chelsea sandwiched in the middle.
Five spot available for English teams for UCL next season, rather than the traditional four, thanks to the strong performances of English clubs across all European competitions.
Match Details
- Date: Tuesday 22 April
- Kick-off: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Location: Manchester, England
- Stadium: Etihad Stadium
- Referee: Craig Pawson
- VAR: John Brooks
Manchester City vs Aston Villa h2h record (last 5 games)
- Man City: 2 wins
- Aston Villa: 2 wins
- Draws: 1
- Last EPL meeting: Aston Villa 2-1 Man City (21 December 2024)
Manchester City team news
Erling Haaland will be missing once more due to an anke injury, leaving Omar Marmoush to lead the line, while City are also without goalkeeper Ederson, John Stones and Nathan Ake. The game will also come too soon for Rodri, who is continuing to work towards a comeback and hopes to feature before the end of the season.
Rotation could see Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne drop to the bench, though it’s always anybody’s guess what selection Guardiola will plump for come kick-off. Indeed, the Belgian could be asked to dictate the tempo from the start with Phil Foden going through a sticky patch.
Aston Villa team news
Watkins channeled his anger into an exceptional display against Newcastle after been kept on the bench in couple of games, but Unai Emery now has the difficult decision or whether or not to keep faith with the 29-year-old or restore Marcus Rashford to the side – he was equally as impressive in the 3-2 second leg win over PSG.
The latter may get the nod, much to Watkins’ chagrin, while Marco Asensio may also drop to the bench as Emery opts to reinforce his midfield. Amadou Onana, who scored against Newcastle after coming on as a second-half substitute, is a contender to start and Pau Torres could return in central defence at the expense of Tyrone Mings.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa correct score prediction
The games continue to come thick and fast for both sides, who are playing in midweek because of their involvement in the upcoming FA Cup semi-finals.
City have the upper hand over Villa on their own patch but have struggled against them on their travels to the Midlands. They are also not as rock solid this season, evidenced by their recent clash with Crystal Palace in which they were 2-0 behind before coming back to win 5-2.
Villa will fancy their chances of scoring at least one, but City are always fierce when heading into the final stretch of the season. They know how to get it done when it really matters, even with Haaland absent and De Bruyne’s form hit and miss, and could come out on top of a midweek thriller.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Aston Villa
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