Manchester City are aiming for eight victories in a row when they visit Aston Villa in the Premier League's lunchtime kick off at Villa Park

City's predicted line-up vs Villa

City are riding high in the Premier League and have the chance to move six points clear of Arsenal, for a couple of hours at least, when they visit Aston Villa this lunchtime. The Blues made a handful of changes on Tuesday night but still managed to walk out comfortable 5-1 winners over AEK Athens in the Champions League. Further alterations are expected for the clash with Villa but Rico Lewis could keep his place. Enzo Maresca confirmed that while Matheus Nunes, Nico O'Reilly and Mateo Kovacic are getting better, he would be making a late call on their availability. If Nunes is a doubt, he is unlikely to be risked and Lewis did well on Tuesday night, albeit he was guilty of switching off for AEK's goal.

Abdukodir Khusanov partnered Ruben Dias in midweek but Marc Guehi is likely to be recalled. The centre-back got a well-earned break against AEK after a difficult performance against Ipswich Town. Considering Maresca has started him in all Premier League matches this season, it seems a safe bet he starts, with Josko Gvardiol completing the backline.