This week, Aston Villa host Manchester City to Villa Park in an attempt to preserve their incredible home form against the toughest of opponents. Here is our expected starting lineup…
Aston Villa have had a fantastic season so far, sitting in the Champions League places and just four points off the top spot. Under Unai Emery, Villa have been superb at home this season, having lost just three games at Villa Park in 2023.
With Manchester City and Pep Guardiola visiting Villa Park, the Villans will face their toughest home test of the season.
Both teams drew their previous match, with the Cityzens drawing 3-3 against Tottenham Hotspur. Emery’s side travelled to Bournemouth and fell behind twice in the game. Villa earned a point thanks to goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins.
Villa have been excellent at home this season under Unai Emery, having lost just three games at Villa Park in 2023. With Manchester City and Pep Guardiola visiting Villa Park, the Villans will face their toughest home test of the season.
Both teams drew their previous match, with the Cityzens drawing 3-3 against Tottenham Hotspur. Emery’s team traveled to Bournemouth and went behind twice. Villa earned a point thanks to goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins.
Rodri and Jack Grealish are unavailable for the visitors this week. The Villans have a great opportunity to pull off an upset and secure a famous three points. With that stated, here is our predicted XI for Aston Villa vs. Manchester City…
Aston Villa Predicted Starting XI
You’ve heard the story before. Villa’s goalkeeper will be Emi Martinez, as he always is. He was on top of his game the last time he played and garnered a lot of acclaim. He’ll have to be at his best to keep Erling Haaland and company out.
The defensive lineup has seen recent rotations, introducing Diego Carlos and shifting Ezri Konsa to a wider position. Emery tends to adopt a more offensive approach at Villa Park compared to away games. Thus, our predicted XI features Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Matty Cash, and Konsa in the backline.
In the midfield, the return of Boubacar Kamara pairs him with Douglas Luiz. Captain John McGinn, who has had a quieter spell lately, is positioned on one side of the midfield four. Despite a standout performance against Bournemouth, Leon Bailey faces competition from Youri Tielemans, whose inclusion depends on Emery’s tactical choices. In our predicted XI, Bailey is chosen for the wide position.
Ollie Watkins, consistent in form, retains his place as the striker for Villa after an impressive showing against Bournemouth. Moussa Diaby is preferred over Nicolo Zaniolo, who received a subpar 6.3 rating on SofaScore for his performance against the Cherries. Therefore, our predicted XI includes Diaby alongside Watkins.
Aston Villa Predicted XI:
Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, McGinn, Kamara, Luiz, Bailey, Diaby, Watkins
