Game week 14 predictions: Guardiola to unleash Villa's hero, Grealish?

Oli Watkins and Raheem Sterling have both rediscovered their respective forms, will both spark the clash between City and Villa on Wednesday? (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

Aston Villa vs Manchester City
Villa Park
9:15pm

New manager bounce or proper use of talent? Steven Gerrard’s time at Villa Park has taken off to an amazing start with two wins on the bounce without conceding a single goal.

Manchester City are just within a point of Chelsea after overcoming Westham 2-1 last weekend and seeing the Blues drop points at home to Manchester United, the goal will be to build on that and keep up the pressure as much as they can till they find the top spot to be theirs.

Aston Villa sacked Dean Smith and they have been better for it, Ollie Watkins is reborn and their midfield that was nonexistent in the games that saw them sink to the bottom three can now boast of strength and vigor, what a story!

Manchester City will be a very good test to the works of the former Liverpool midfielder who got the better of another premier league legend last time out by beating Crystal Palace away, that has improved the confidence level of the Villa players as well as the mood in the camp.

The Cityzens weren’t particularly pretty against the Hammers but they got the job done and held off everything David Moyes’ team threw at them late on, it’s the hallmark of champions to dig deep to find something special when the game is even.

How will Steven Gerrard approach this? It’s a big test and he can’t be too daring. You can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy the ticket, Villa must aim for them to have a chance but they can’t be too adventurous against the most erratic team in the league.

How can Villa upset City? First City must have a bad day for Villa to have a chance, but following the Crystal Palace template, they can defend deep and hit the champions on the break, for this to happen they can’t afford to pass on opportunities.

Good news is that you don’t play City every match day, but the last five times Villa have played against the visitors, they have lost on each occasion and they have conceded at least twice on each occasion, this must change should Villa dream big on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola has said Jack Grealish is an integral part of his business but will he have a place in the line up against the team that sold him for mega bucks in the summer?