Aston Villa vs Manchester City Prediction & Betting Tips - Premier League

Prediction published on 09/01/2020, 07:02  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 09/01/2020 at 08:03 in Premier League Prediction

Could this be a rehearsal for the EFL Cup final? That's possible but both teams return to Premier League action as 17th placed Aston Villa host Manchester City who are in third. Villa could well be in the bottom three by the time this game begins and will be if there is a positive result in the early Sunday game between Bournemouth and Watford. They did well to draw at Leicester in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final but need to get some points in the Premier League or face an immediate return to the Championship.  They have won two of their last three league games to escape the bottom three but only by a point. Getting a good result this weekend isn't going to be easy as they host an in-form Manchester City side. A difficult task at the best of times but Villa have an injury crisis at present.

Manchester City could be 17 points behind Liverpool before this match begins. If Liverpool beat Tottenham on Saturday, they will have gone through the 60 point mark and City are only on 44 points. It's looking like a battle for second place and to win as many other competitions as possible. They already look to be in the EFL Cup final after their 3-1 win at Manchester United in midweek. The goals are starting to flow again for them with 11 goals in their last four league and cup matches, all ending in wins. City have one loss in their last nine matches and have scored at least twice in each of them. They can be vulnerable at times on their travels but with Villa understrength, this has to be a win for them with City leading at both half and full time.