Preview – Man City vs Aston Villa
Having temporarily dropped to third, Man City will be keen on returning to second in the Premier League – or even grab the first spot. However, Aston Villa stand in their way, with the Citizens gearing up for an interesting showdown with Grealish and Co. Dean Smith's men return to action for the first time since January 1, excluding their FA Cup tie against Liverpool on the eighth in which a youthful lineup was fielded.
A COVID-19 outbreak wreaked havoc at Villa Park, a situation which the manager described as a "very scary" moment. Nine players and five backroom staff officials tested positive, resulting in the closure of the training ground and forcing the entire squad into isolation. Since then, they have had two of their Premier League fixtures postponed.
Coincidentally, the last Premier League game Aston Villa played was against the other Manchester giants, Man Utd. They lost that game 2-1 and will be keen on returning to winning ways when they visit the Etihad Stadium. They currently sit in 11th with 26 points, a point behind 10th-placed Arsenal, but the Midlands side have played three games in hand over the Gunners – excluding Wednesday's showdown.
As for Man City, their goal is to go top of the table. They will do that temporarily should they beat the Villans but will need Man United to drop points at Fulham if they wish to keep ahold of the number one spot. Guardiola's men, having endured a rough start to the campaign, have slowly fought their way back into the title race and have now leapfrogged defending champions Liverpool.
While the Red Devils and the Merseyside giants played out a goalless draw over the weekend, the Citizens beat Crystal Palace 4-0 to make much-needed ground, stretching their winning run to eight matches. De Bruyne and Co. have now gone 15 matches without a defeat.
Key to this turnaround has been their defensive solidity under the John Stone-Ruben Dias partnership. City enjoy the best defense in the league, having only conceded 13 times this season. Aston Villa will be a tough test, however, so do not miss this clash!
Team news
Man City: Aguero is still unavailable for this game as the Argentine remains in self-isolation. Laporte is also another absentee, with the French center-back yet to return from injury.
Aston Villa: A lot is up in the air regarding Dean Smith's squad as it remains unclear who is clear and fit to play after the COVID-19 outbreak. Wesley is a long-term absentee and will thus miss this game but Ross Barkley will be hoping to return.
Key stats
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Man City have won 14 of their last 15 home clash with Aston Villa in the Premier League.
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The Midlands side have lost their last 10 visits to the Citizens in a row.
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The Villans haven't won a single game vs Pep's side since September 2013, a nine-game winless run (D1, L8).
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De Bruyne and Co. boast a five-game winning streak in the EPL.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
