Premier League leaders Manchester City will endeavour to preserve their perfect top-flight record when they travel to Villa Park to face a resurgent Aston Villa outfit on Saturday lunchtime.

The two teams meet just five months after they locked horns for Pep Guardiola’s final match as Citizens manager at the end of last season, with Villa running out 2-1 victors at the Etihad.

Match preview

Man City are just the third team in Premier League history - after Chelsea in 2005-06 (nine wins) and Liverpool in 2019-20 (eight wins) - to win each of their opening seven matches at the start of a new season, while Enzo Maresca is the first-ever manager to win his first seven games in charge of a club in the division.

Not since 1897-98 as a second-tier club have City started a league campaign with seven straight wins, battling their way Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Coventry City, Manchester United, Sunderland and Liverpool in the top flight before claiming a 3-2 home victory against Ipswich Town last weekend.

It was the club’s first Premier League match at a inflatable banana-filled Etihad since they were found guilty of breaching the division’s financial regulations. While a dark cloud of off-field uncertainty hangs over their top-flight status, Maresca’s men boast 21 points and sit three points clear of champions Arsenal at the top of the table.

Man City’s only defeat in their last 11 matches in all competitions came at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League just over a week ago (4-2), but they made a swift return to winning ways on the continent, thrashing AEK Athens 5-1 on Wednesday with a much-changed lineup.

A tricky trip to Villa Park is up next for the Citizens, who have lost four of their last six Premier League meetings with Unai Emery’s side, including each of their last three away matches by an aggregate score of 4-1.

Unlike Man City, Aston Villa are one of only five teams out of 36 who have made a perfect start to their Champions League campaign, claiming their third win in three games at home against Viking FK on Wednesday night.

First-half strikes from Ross Barkley and Emiliano Buendia and a second half own goal helped Villa ease to a 3-1 victory and extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to seven matches (W5 D1) since losing at home to Nottingham Forest (2-1) on September 12.

Villa are enjoying a positive upturn in form which has seen them collect seven of their eight Premier League points across their last three games, most recently beating Newcastle United 1-0 on the road – Emery’s 100th with as a PL manager.

Sitting 12th in the table and only two points behind the top six, Villa are still searching for their first home win in the Premier League this term (D1 L2), but back-to-back Champions League successes by an aggregate score of 9-1 at Villa Park has lifted their spirits ahead of their crunch match with Man City.

Villa did the double over Man City last season, including a 1-0 home win in October last year, and they are now bidding to win three matches in a row against the Sky Blues for the very first time in the Premier League era (since 1992-93).

Aston Villa Premier League form:

Aston Villa form (all competitions):

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City form (all competitions):

Team News

Aston Villa will be without Amadou Onana (ACL), Matteo Ruggeri (thigh) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (hamstring) due to injury, while in-form summer signing Johan Manzambi (muscle) and young defender Modou Keba Cisse (groin) are both minor doubts.

Despite impressing against Viking FK, Alysson may be replaced on the right flank by captain John McGinn, with Boubacar Kamara and Joao Gomes – who started at right-back in midweek – set to resume their central midfield partnership.

Matty Cash is expected to return on the right side of a four-man defence and Ian Maatsen may also be ready to start after recovering from an ankle injury. Tyrone Mings is available to continue a left-back if needed, though.

As for Man City, Antoine Semenyo is ruled out for around eight weeks with a knee injury, while Nico O'Reilly, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes were rested in midweek and should be fit to return to the matchday squad after sustaining minor issues against Ipswich.

Erling Haaland was also absent against AEK Athens, but Maresca has said that the prolific striker – who has scored 12 goals in just 10 appearances this term - is “100% available" to play against Villa.

Phil Foden has scored four goals in his last two appearances, including a superb UCL hat-trick in midweek, and he could rewarded with another start on the right flank, while Ayyoub Bouaddi may replace Rayan Cherki should Maresca look to solidify his midfield including Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez.

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Gomes; McGinn, Manzambi, Buendia; Jackson

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, O'Reilly; Anderson, Bouaddi, Fernandez; Foden, Haaland, Doku

We say: Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester City

An energised and improving Aston Villa side will carry immense confidence into this weekend's clash, buoyed by a strong upturn in form and a stellar recent track record against Man City.

However, a relentless Citizens outfit, who have talisman Haaland fit to lead the line and consistently grind out positive results even when they do not perform at their optimal level, have our backing to claim a slender victory, keeping them clear at the top of the table.

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