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Manchester City entertain Aston Villa in their upcoming Premier League fixture at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
The Cityzens are on an eight-game winning streak across all competitions and are just two points behind leaders Manchester United in the league table.
Aston Villa are 10th in the standings with 26 points and are winless in their last two outings.
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Manchester City vs Aston Villa Head-to-Head
The two clubs have crossed paths 173 times across all competitions. As expected, the hosts have had the upper hand in the fixture, recording wins on 75 occasions.
The Lions have 57 wins to their name while 41 games have ended in draws. Villa are winless against City since 2013, with the hosts recording a massive 9-1 win on aggregate in their meetings in the 2019-20 season.
They last clashed in the League Cup final in March last year, in which the host went on to win their third successive League Cup title and fifth in the past seven seasons.
Manchester City form guide across all competitions: W-W-W-W-W
Aston Villa form guide across all competitions: L-L-D-W-W
Manchester City vs Aston Villa Team News
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola does not have any major injury concerns ahead of the game. Only Nathan Ake is ruled out on account of a muscle issue. Aymeric Laporte is said to be struggling with a hamstring issue and his participation in the game is in doubt.
Striker Sergio Aguero remains in isolation after coming in contact with a COVID-19 positive person. Eric Garcia can return to the fold, as he has completed 15 days in isolation.
Injured: Nathan Ake
Doubtful: Aymeric Laporte, Sergio Aguero
Suspended: None
Aston Villa
Dean Smith will have to make the trip to Manchester without Trézéguet, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Meanwhile, Wesley is struggling with a knee problem and will not be available.
Ross Barkley may return to action, at least from the bench, following his recovery from a thigh strain.
Injured: Trézéguet, Wesley
Doubtful: Ross Barkley
Suspended: None
Manchester City vs Aston Villa Predicted XI
Manchester City Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Ederson Moraes; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Kyle Walker; Ilkay Gundogan, Rodrigo; Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling; Gabriel Jesus
Aston Villa Predicted XI (4-3-3): Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Matt Targett, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Jack Grealish, Bertrand Traore, Ollie Watkins, Anwar El Ghazi
Manchester City vs Aston Villa Prediction
The hosts are the most in-form team in the Premier League at the moment. Despite their early defensive struggles, they now have the best defensive record in the league, having conceded just 13 goals.
Aston Villa have scored the same number of goals as City. However, given the kind of form the host are in currently, taking even a point from the game might prove to be an uphill task for the visitors.
We predict a win for the hosts, who will be looking to keep the pressure on Manchester United at the top of the table.
Prediction: Manchester City 2-0 Aston Villa
