The outcome of the game between Manchester City and Aston Villa will likely decide UCL spots. Both sides are striving to secure a place in the top 5, so a loss here for either could spell doom for their ambitions. Seeing as how the gaps between the various teams engulfed in this battle are minuscule, any result here will surely add more drama to the battle at the summit of the Premier League.
Manchester City Team News
Although Manchester City were in contention to be one of the title challengers, their bid fell short very early. A disastrous spell of bad form starting from November up until February this year cost them any chances to lift the league trophy. Pep Guardiola’s side is now relegated to fight for the very chance to represent England in next year’s UCL. Fortunately, his team’s fortunes have improved drastically since then, although City remain a shadow of the machine they were in prior seasons. Guardiola’s side is unbeaten in its last 5 league fixtures, with recent results, especially at home, pointing to the fact that City’s games tend to produce a healthy amount of goals both from them and their opponents.
Aston Villa Team News
Aston Villa dismantled Newcastle in their last Premier League fixture and made their intentions crystal clear – UCL football next season. Although sitting 7th ahead of their game with City, the Villains are just 1 point off Pep Guardiola’s side. Unai Emery’s side is also involved in goal-rich games regularly, as evidenced by his team’s results. Their last 8 competitive fixtures all passed the over 2.5 mark, with Aston Villa keeping just 1 clean sheet in its last 5 games across all competitions. However, it should also be pointed out that Emery’s men have hit a rich vein of form, as their 3-1 loss to PSG in the first leg of the UCL quarter-finals was their only one from the team’s last 11 competitive outings. All other games in this sequence were won by Aston Villa.
Head-to-Head-Games
The last 5 H2H encounters between City and Villa are evenly split, with 2 wins for each, with the remaining game ending in a draw. Three of those 5 games produced over 2.5 goals, while 4 saw both teams score. At the Etihad Stadium, all of the last 3 clashes between City and Villa produced over 2.5 goals, with both of them finding the net.
| Rank | Teams | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | Current form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Manchester City | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 28 | 71 | WWDWW |
| Rank | Teams | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | Current form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Aston Villa | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 66 | LWWWL |
Manchester City – Aston Villa Betting Prediction
As this is shaping up to be a pivotal game for City and Villa’s seasons, I expect them to go strong into this one and search for nothing but the 3 points. There isn’t a lot of football left to be played, and the margins in the UCL spots battle are slim at best, so neither has the luxury of mistakes. This is why my pick here is for a game with over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring.
Both City and Aston Villa’s recent results point to the fact that they are adept at scoring but also prone to conceding. H2H statistics between them also favour such an outcome, especially if we only consider games at the Etihad Stadium.
Betting Tip: Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams To Score: Yes
Bookmaker: Sportsbet.io
Odds: 1.78
Sportsbet.io
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