Manchester City will hope to get back to winning ways when they welcome Aston Villa to the Etihad on Sunday. The Citizens will be eager to get their title charge under control after taking a slight tumble in their pursuit.
In the previous gameweek, the shortcomings of Pep Guardiola's men in the trip to Tottenham Hotspur, saw they fail to close in on leaders Arsenal who dropped point against relegation-battlers Everton. For the fifth time in succession, the Citizens were unable to beat the Lillywhites in their own backyard, with Harry Kane's historic 200th Premier League goal proving to be the difference maker.
With Arsenal dropping points again in the 1-1 draw with Brentford on Saturday, the onus lies with Man City to register a statement win. Having registered 45 points from 21 outings, victory over Aston Villa will put the defending champions just three points behind the Gunners. The deficit could be reduced further should they pull through with a win when they clash with Mikel Arteta's men.
Regarding the meeting with Villa, the odds are well in favor of the Etihad outfit who will go into the game with an exceptional record against the West Midlands club. So far, they are unbeaten in their last six outings against the Clarets and Blue. At the beginning of the season, both teams took a point apiece when they met at Villa Park.
Against this backdrop and the fact that Villa are under new leadership, a tough contest could be on the cards for City. Although Unai Emery's team go into the clash with City on the back of a 4-2 humiliation at home to Leicester, they have managed several impressive results in recent weeks that suggest that they may well give the defending champions a run for their money.
At the moment, Villa sit in 11th position with 28 points - seven points behind a spot in Europe next season. Their away form of five losses, three wins and two draws does not give a clear indication of what one should expect from the Clarets. Needless to say, an upset could be on the cards considering how unpredictable most games in the league has been in recent times.
Key stats and facts: Man City vs Aston Villa
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Man City have scored at least twice in their last 13 home matches against Aston Villa in all competitions.
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Aston Villa have won 4 of their last 5 matches in the Premier League.
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Man City have been victorious in their last seven home matches against Aston Villa in all competitions.
Team news: Man City vs Aston Villa
Man City will be without the services of John Stones as a result of an injury. Phil Foden was unavailable for the clash with Tottenham Hotspur last week but has returned after recovering from an illness.
On the other hand, Villa boss Unai Emery will be without the services of Diego Carlos and Jed Steer because of injury problems.
Broadcast information: Man City vs Aston Villa
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
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