Aston Villa host Manchester City in the early kick-off in the Premier League this weekend, with both sides looking to finally turn around respective runs of poor form.
Unai Emery’s side sit in a respectable seventh place, two points behind City, but have won just three of their last 10 domestic matches despite better form in the Champions League.
And Pep Guardiola’s men are currently stuck in the middle of one of the stories of the season, with just one win in their last 11 matches after a dramatic collapse in the Manchester derby last weekend.
Nevertheless, despite this unprecedented run of form for the champions, they are still in fifth, just one point off Nottingham Forest in fourth, and a win here would take them to the same points tally as Arsenal – who are in third ahead of their match against Crystal Palace later today.
Here’s everything you need to know about today’s match:
When is Aston Villa vs Man City?
Aston Villa vs Man City is due to kick off at 12.30pm GMT on Saturday, 21 December at Villa Park in Birmingham.
Where can I watch the match?
The match will be shown on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 11am. Subscribers will also be able to live stream via the discovery+ app.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Team news
Ollie Watkins has recovered from a slight knock but Jhon Duran is likely to start ahead of him after impressing during the latter’s absence. Leon Bailey could return to action and Tyrone Mings is available again after missing the match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Jacob Ramsey is still out.
For Man City, Mateo Kovacic and John Stones returned to the bench for last week’s Manchester derby and are one step closer to being match fit.
Nathan Ake joins Rodri and Oscar Bobb as a long-term absentee but Manuel Akanji could feature after recovering from a pelvis issue. Former Villa captain Jack Grealish is pushing for a start but will have to displace Jeremy Doku on the left wing and is more likely to take up a spot on the bench.
Predicted line-ups
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash; Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins.
Man City XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Nunes; Kovacic, Gundogan; Silva, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland.
Odds
Aston Villa win 9/4
Draw 11/4
Man City win 11/10
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Prediction
The recent form of both sides makes it especially difficult to predict a result, though you’d expect Guardiola and City to remedy their misfortune sooner rather than later, and a win at Villa Park would be the perfect start.
Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester City.
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