In an effort to break free from their mid-season slump, Premier League champions Manchester City will aim to revive their struggling title defence on Saturday when they face Aston Villa.
After last week's dramatic derby loss, City have suffered five defeats in their last seven league matches. Meanwhile, Villa's recent resurgence came to an abrupt halt with a late collapse in their previous game.
Aston Villa were poised to move ahead of Nottingham Forest and into the top four, leading with just minutes remaining at the City Ground. But two quick goals from Forest wiped out Villa’s advantage, making Jhon Duran's opener and Emi Martinez's stunning save irrelevant, as they let the win slip away.
Before that, Villa had enjoyed a three-match winning streak, triumphing over Brentford, Southampton, and RB Leipzig in the Champions League. However, their defeat means they've now lost four of their last seven league games.
Following a breakthrough 2023-24 campaign, Villa have found the demands of competing on two fronts tough, and they’ve lost four consecutive away matches in the Premier League. Still, they remain unbeaten in their last seven home league games and are in seventh place. A win against City on Saturday could even push them ahead of the champions.
Last season, Villa made a statement by beating City 1-0 at Villa Park, and they'll be aiming to repeat that feat for the first time since 1993.
Manchester City’s recent form has been equally disappointing. They were undone late in last week’s derby, throwing away a one-goal lead against Manchester United in dramatic fashion. Amad Diallo’s last-minute strike handed City a painful 2-1 defeat, marking their eighth loss in the last 11 matches.
City's problems are becoming more evident, as they’ve lost two of their last three Premier League games despite leading at half-time—something they had never done so often in the previous 102 league matches. Their struggles have extended to the Champions League, where they are now five points behind Villa.
With concerns over an aging midfield and an injury-hit defense, City’s attacking inefficiency has also contributed to their unexpected decline. Despite having more shots than any other team in the Premier League this season, they’ve only converted 9.9% of them, their lowest rate since the 2006-07 season.
Phil Foden, a key player in last season's triumph, has taken more shots without scoring than anyone else in the league, while makeshift left-back Josko Gvardiol is currently City's second-highest scorer behind Erling Haaland, who has also underperformed.
Now sitting in fifth place, nine points behind leaders Liverpool with a game in hand, City cannot afford any more slip-ups if they hope to get back into the title race.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
After impressing in place of the injured Ollie Watkins, Jhon Duran will be hoping to retain his spot at the top of Aston Villa's attack on Saturday.
Watkins, the team's top scorer with seven league goals, has been sidelined by a minor injury, while Duran has stepped up, scoring his sixth goal in Villa's recent match against Nottingham Forest. Despite the good form of both players, manager Unai Emery has generally been hesitant to start them together.
Leon Bailey may return to action after recovering from a hamstring injury, and Tyrone Mings is available after missing the last game due to illness. However, Jacob Ramsey remains out.
On the Manchester City side, their injury list has eased slightly in the past couple of weeks. Mateo Kovacic and John Stones were back on the bench for last week’s derby loss.
However, Rodri and Oscar Bobb continue to recover from long-term injuries, and Nathan Ake has joined them in the treatment room. Manuel Akanji could be fit to play after dealing with a pelvis problem, and versatile full-back Rico Lewis returns from suspension.
Jack Grealish will return to his boyhood club with hopes of making the starting lineup, but as things stand, Belgian winger Jeremy Doku is ahead of him in Pep Guardiola's selection plans.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Cash, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis; Kovacic; Silva, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku; Haaland
EXPERT PREDICTION
Aston Villa 2-2 Manchester City
While City have been inconsistent, Villa still have their weaknesses, so both teams might secretly be content with a draw, even if neither manager would admit it.
Villa are tougher to beat at home and almost always find the net, meaning they could prolong the champions' wait for an away win.
