Game Week 9 Predictions: City to beat Villa

Man City face Aston Villa at Villa Park, aiming to reclaim top spot. Villa seek consistency after mixed results. Haaland’s form key. City to win.

Manchester City's quest to go top takes them to Villa Park, can they earn the points there? (Photo credit: Opta)

 Aston Villa vs Manchester City

Villa Park

3:00pm

By the time Arsenal would be slugging it out with Crystal Palace at the Emirates, City would be negotiating with Aston Villa, and the former champions can actually end the weekend in the top spot.

Should Palace beat Arsenal, City would only need a win against Unai Emery’s side to go top, and you know what that means? Pep Guardiola isn’t someone you want to see at the top because the chances of them slipping up from that position are slim.

And why would you put it past City to go top and stay there? They’re not yet fully in their stride, however; you know what their second half of the season is like for them. Aston Villa would be quite a handful, but the Cityzens can get the job done.

Let’s have a conversation about Unai Emery and Aston Villa for a moment; how did they beat Spurs away last weekend and then slump to a defeat in Europe against Go Ahead Eagles? Why are they so inconsistent?

After their horrendous start to the season, Villa picked things up and were able to string wins together. Will they allow the loss in the Netherlands to dampen their spirit, or will they pick things up against the former champions who indeed look devastating?

What makes City devastating? It’s hard to look past their number 9, arguably the best in that position in the world; big, strong and ever reliable, Erling Haaland continues to score for fun, and he needs no invitation; he just scores.

How can Aston Villa stop this rolling machine? They must cut off supplies to him. The champions play through the middle a lot; they enjoy through-the-line passes. The likes of John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana must be active in the middle; it would be quite tough.

City will once again rely on Phil Foden and Tijjani Reijnders for the hard work in the creative hub; however, they must not sleep in the defence too. Morgan Rodgers is one to watch in the final third; his goal last weekend against Spurs says a lot about what he can do in that space.

Villa knows that a win takes them level on points with fifth-placed Bournemouth, while the Cherries also have a date with Forest at the same time to extend their advantage too. Villa would know a lot can be better with a result against City.

Verdict: City to win.