Aston Villa vs Manchester City Prediction, lineups, betting tips & odds

The visitors aren’t really performing like defending champions.

We are almost reaching the halfway mark in the season. Aston Villa are all set to welcome Manchester City to Villa Park for a Premier League matchday 17 clash packed with high stakes.

The Villans are sitting in seventh and aim to bounce back after a late collapse in a 2-1 loss to Nottingham Forest. A win over a bruised City side could propel them back into the top-four race.

As for Manchester City, they are reeling from a shocking 2-1 derby defeat to Manchester United. They have found themselves in an unfamiliar territory. With only one win in their last six league outings, Pep Guardiola’s side are desperate to reignite their title defence and reclaim momentum against a strong Villa side.

Kick-off

Saturday, December 21, 12:30 PM UK (6 PM IST)

Location: Villa Park

Form

Aston Villa (in the PL): D-L-W-W-L

Man City (in the PL): L-L-W-D-L

Players to watch for

Jhon Duran (Aston Villa)

Here’s a stat to blow your mind: Jhon Duran has started just five games and has already bagged 11 goals. Calling him a “super-sub” feels like selling him short because he started in the last game, and bagged the only goal for the Villans against Forest. Unai Emery might have a very good problem at his hands with Duran firing and Ollie Watkins there in the mix too.

🇨🇴🗣️ Jhon Duran: "I actually love the competition I have going with Ollie Watkins.""When it is my turn I step up and hopefully I will score to help the team. I am happy." (Amazon) pic.twitter.com/xvH7II5QGk

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) December 12, 2024

Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City)

What’s funny is that people thought Gvardiol would make a good duo with Dias, how the tables turned. Pep turned him into a full-back machine channelling his inner Marcelo. The way he has been creating chances up front and scoring them at will is really applaudable.

He is the second top-scorer for Manchester City this season, only after Erling Haaland, of course, after he nabbed the sole goal in the lost Derby match last week.

Joško Gvardiol is Man City's second top scorer this season after scoring his fourth goal 😅 pic.twitter.com/OyD5NaeSeA

— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 15, 2024

Match facts

• Villa proved last season that they could topple the giants, securing a 1-0 home win
• Only Newcastle and Villa are the two teams against which Manchester City have won more games and scored more goals
• Villa are unbeaten at Villa Park in their last seven games

Aston Villa vs. Manchester City: Betting tips & odds

• Tip 1: Match to end in a draw-12/5 Betfred
• Tip 2: Duran to score-13/5 Unibet
• Tip 3: Over 3 goals-20/21 Betfair

Injury and team news

Villa’s creators are stepping up: Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, and Lucas Digne are dishing out chances galore. Ollie Watkins, with a league-best 15 big chances and seven goals, is sharpening his finishing touch, alongside Duran. Ramsey and Bailey remain sidelined.

All eyes will be on Jack Grealish as he returns to Villa Park. The former Villan hasn’t scored in nearly a year, with his last goal coming during a three-match streak in December 2023. Key players like Rodri, Nathan Ake, and Akanji will remain sidelined.

Head-to-head

Games: 48

Aston Villa: 8

Manchester City: 33

Draws: 7

Predicted lineups

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)

Martinez; Cash, Carlos, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Philogene; Duran

Manchester City (4-2-3-1)

Ederson; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis; De Bruyne, Kovacic; Silva, Foden, Nunes; Haaland

Match predictions

To expect a clean sheet for either side would be a naive prediction to make. But it’s a tough one to call out a clear winner. Both teams have been inconsistent of late. So, we are predicting a draw.

Prediction: Villa 2 – 2 Manchester City

Telecast

India: Star Sports Network, Disney+ Hotstar

UK: Sky Sports, TNT Sports

USA: NBC Sports

Nigeria: SuperSport, NTA, Sporty TV

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