Manchester City vs Aston Villa Prediction & Match Preview

• Manchester City won 10, drew 1, and lost 1 of the previous 12 clashes with the Lions.
• The Citizens can ill afford a slip-up, being three points shy of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League standings.
• Ollie Watkins will likely miss out on Wednesday following an injury he suffered in the weekend’s 2-0 win over Wolves.

Aston Villa kept a three-point advantage on Spurs in the battle for the top-four finish thanks to a 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday afternoon. Moussa Diaby was the hero as his goal and assist catapulted the team to highly important home success at the weekend.

On a negative note, Villa’s main star Ollie Watkins was forced out through injury at the half time of the game. His status is still unknown but we are not confident about a start with such a short turnaround. Unai Emery’s men will face the toughest of challenges on Wednesday evening. They travel to Etihad Stadium to lock horns with reigning champions Manchester City in one of the most exciting Matchday No 31 fixtures.

Manchester City are also in a desperate need for points going into this tie. They only drew 0-0 to direct rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. Pep Guardiola’s men are now three points shy of Liverpool at the top of the league table. Can the Citizens bounce back after successive draws?

• Aston Villa shocked Manchester City with a 1-0 victory in the reverse game played in December last year in Birmingham.
• The Citizens still have 10 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in the previous 12 clashes with Aston Villa.
• Both teams were on target in five of the last six head-to-head encounters.

Manchester City vs Aston Villa Prediction

Manchester City have been struggling to get their offense going in recent weeks. They have scored one or fewer goals in five of the previous six Premier League matches. Guardiola’s troops did not show much offensively against Arsenal on Sunday either.

That said, we are still talking about Manchester City. They have conquered the planet last year and they are still among the very best teams in the world right now. The Citizens are unbeaten at Etihad Stadium this season. They will be super-motivated to rebound in style after subsequent league draws.

Aston Villa’s back line is anything but reliable despite the weekend’s clean sheet against injury-crippled Wolves. More importantly, the Lions will most likely be without their talisman Ollie Watkins on Wednesday. We will back Manchester City to have the lead at the half time and win the game at the end at the 1.83 odds.

As Erling Haaland has struggled to find his best form of late, Phil Foden has stepped up as the team’s hero in many recent matches. Foden was subbed out at the hour-mark of the weekend’s derby against Arsenal.

As Kevin De Bruyne played the full 90 minutes on Sunday, we would not be surprised to see the Belgian on the bench and Foden being trusted in the central attacking midfield role. Phil has 11 goals to his name so far in the season. We like the 2.87 odds offered for him to score anytime on Wednesday.

Steffen Schmidt- April 1, 2024

Manchester City vs Aston Villa Betting Tips

HT/FT Manchester City/Manchester City

OK

1.83 Odds

Phil Foden to score anytime

OK

2.88 Odds

Correct Score: Manchester City 3-0

OK

10.00 Odds