Manchester City vs Aston Villa

Etihad Stadium forms the backdrop for a high-stakes Premier League top-five six-pointer between Manchester City and Aston Villa. 

Manchester City left it late to beat bottom-half Everton 2-0 last weekend, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to six matches (W4, D2) while consolidating their quest to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League. However, with only a point separating them from seventh-placed Aston Villa ahead of the kick-off, there’s no margin for error, as Pep Guardiola’s men aim to post a 15h consecutive home league victory against this opposition. It would be a perfect revenge for a 2-1 defeat in December’s reverse fixture, and the omens look good for the reigning champions. Indeed, only Liverpool and Real Madrid have triumphed at the Etihad in 2025, with Man City winning eight of their nine remaining competitive home outings this calendar year (D1). 

Visiting Aston Villa will be out to pull off a rare league double over Man City after thrashing Newcastle United 4-1 at the weekend to bounce back from a gut-wrenching Champions League elimination at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. Buoyed by a five-game winning streak in the Premier League, Unai Emery’s charges must be confident of posting their first away to fellow top-seven rivals for the first time this season (D1, L4). Adding to this sentiment, the Lions have won their last three away league matches without conceding and could make it four road wins in a row for the first time since the 2008/09 Premier League season. Doing so while keeping a clean sheet would see them make a piece of club history as they’ve never won four straight top-flight away games ‘to nil.’