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Villa Park, Birmingham
Saturday 24 October, 12:30pm
Aston Villa host Manchester City at Villa Park on Saturday at 12:30pm, unbeaten since a 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on September 12 and having not lost to the Sky Blues at home since December 2021.
City arrive with a flawless record so far in the Premier League, making Enzo Maresca the first-ever manager to win his opening seven games in the division at a new club. Anyone weighing up the wider markets for this fixture can start with our football betting hub.
Aston Villa vs Manchester City: form guide and preview
Villa took one point from their first four league games, losing to Brighton and Hove Albion, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, but their last three top-flight outings have seen them beat Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United away, and draw 2-2 with Brentford.
Goals are the problem for Lions, whose seven in seven league games is fewer than any of the 11 clubs above them in the table have managed.
Unai Emery's side are also without a Premier League win at Villa Park, where they have taken just one point from three games this term.
Summer signing Johan Manzambi headed the winner against Newcastle and has two league goals to his name, making him the club's top scorer in the division alongside Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson, who leads the line.
The Villans may have lacked a consistent cutting edge in domestic competition so far, but they will be optimistic about changing that after beating Champions League opponents Fenerbahce 6-0 on October 14 and Viking 3-1 on Wednesday, triumphs that have only bolstered their confidence.
City have scored 19 goals and conceded seven during their seven league wins, with the 5-3 victory over Sunderland and the 3-2 win over Ipswich Town showing that Maresca’s side are capable of coming out on top even when their backline is breached.
The Citizens have been even more convincing away from home, with eight goals scored and one conceded in three league trips, most notably a 3-0 win over Liverpool on October 11 and a 1-0 win over Manchester United that they saw out with 10 men.
Phil Foden has notched four goals in his last two games, one against Ipswich Town and a hat-trick against AEK Athens in the Champions League on Tuesday, and Maresca has spoken of his desire to help the 26-year-old rediscover his best form.
Erling Haaland leads the Premier League scoring charts with eight goals, adding two to his tally with a brace against Ipswich, before being rested on the bench against AEK Athens.
City’s only defeat in 11 matches since the Community Shield against Arsenal was a 4-2 home loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on October 14, a reminder that Maresca’s side can be stretched by quality opposition.
Team news: Aston Villa vs Manchester City
Aston Villa team news
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who had been filling in at left-back, is out for three to four weeks with a hamstring injury suffered against Newcastle United.
Ian Maatsen returned to the squad in midweek after being sidelined since mid-September, and could feature on Saturday.
Manzambi missed the win over Viking with a calf problem after being substituted against Newcastle United, and his place in the squad is in doubt.
If he cannot play, Ibrahim Mbaye is likely to start on the left of the attacking three behind Jackson, with Alysson on the right and Emiliano Buendia in the number 10 role.
Matteo Ruggeri is out for around two months and Amadou Onana remains a long-term absentee after rupturing a knee ligament at the World Cup.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Manchester City
Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Gomes, Kamara; Alysson, Buendia, Mbaye; Jackson (4-2-3-1)
Manchester City team news
Haaland is ready to start after being left on the bench for the AEK game, with Maresca describing him as 100% available.
Antoine Semenyo, who had started six of City’s seven league games, will miss Saturday with the knee injury he suffered against Ipswich and is not expected back until December.
Nico O’Reilly, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes were substituted off against Ipswich Town and missed the AEK clash, with Maresca saying on Thursday that all three had been improving but still needed to be assessed in training.
With O’Reilly a doubt at left-back, Josko Gvardiol is the likely replacement in a back four that should include Abdukodir Khusanov on the right as an alternative to Nunes.
Manchester City predicted lineup vs Aston Villa
Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Guehi, Gvardiol; Bouaddi, Fernandez; Ndiaye, Foden, Doku; Haaland (4-2-3-1)
Head-to-head: Aston Villa vs Manchester City
Villa have won each of their last three home league meetings with City, 1-0 in December 2023, 2-1 in December 2024 and 1-0 in October 2025, when Matty Cash scored in the 19th minute from a Buendia assist.
Villa also won at the Etihad Stadium on May 24, in Pep Guardiola’s final game in charge of City, to complete a league double over them for the first time since 1962-63.
City have not kept a clean sheet against Villa in any of their last 11 league meetings, since a 2-0 win in January 2021.
Neither side is the same as the one that met in May, though, with Maresca having replaced Guardiola at City and Villa having lost a number of key players, including Morgan Rogers to Chelsea for £117m.
Our Aston Villa vs Manchester City prediction and tips
Readers comparing prices before placing any of these selections can check our guide to the best betting sites.
Odds correct as of Friday, 23 October 2026, 12:50 BST.
- Manchester City scorers Erling Haaland (two) and Phil Foden
- Aston Villa scorer Nicolas Jackson
- City have scored only one of their eight league goals away from home before half-time, so an early Villa goal could test their patience.
Anthony is an avid Liverpool fan that covers football and the World Cup on TNT Sports. A few seasons deep into his work writing for a number of sites such as Sports Mole and Football Ground Guide, he regularly previews upcoming clashes and pens features about the latest and greatest in the beautiful game. Anthony is looking forward to writing about how the Reds continue to spend the Coutinho money.