Aston Villa eager for four-game winning run as Manchester City clash brews.
After a shocking 2-1 loss to Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League, Villa take on the Sky Blues, hoping to pick up four wins in a row. Aston Villa vs. Manchester City kicks off at 14:00 [GMT+1] on Sunday, October 25, at Villa Park.
Aston Villa will host Manchester City at Villa Park on Saturday in one of the standout fixtures of the Premier League weekend. Both teams head into this clash in strong form, with Aston Villa riding a wave of resurgence under Unai Emery and Manchester City continuing their typically dominant run under Pep Guardiola. Despite a shocking 2-1 loss to Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League, Aston Villa head back for domestic duties, hoping to earn four Premier League victories in a row [DDWWW] following last weekend’s 2-1 win over Spurs. It comes after enduring a five-game winless start to the season (D3 L2). Unai Emery’s side have developed a growing sense of belief at home, winning their last two league matches against Manchester City. Should they claim victory again, it would mark their longest home winning streak over City since their remarkable five-match run between 1960 and 1975. A win against City would see them match a rare feat last achieved by Preston North End in 1936–37 — starting a top-flight campaign winless in five before winning the next four. Emery’s side have also shown resilience, winning their last two Premier League matches after conceding first — a 3-1 comeback against Fulham and a 2-1 turnaround versus Spurs. Since taking charge in November 2022, Emery has overseen 11 wins from losing positions — second only to Pep Guardiola’s 14 in the same period. Villa could appear with the 4—2—3—1 with Ollie Watkins in attack.
Manchester City are also making a return from European duties, where they picked up a comfortable 2-0 win over Villarreal to hold on to 7th place on the UCL league phase table. Back on Premier League turf, they are 2nd with 16 points, three points shy of table-topping Arsenal. Since the start of April, they’ve earned more points than any other Premier League side (39 – W12 D3 L2), conceding the opening goal in just two matches during that run. City have scored first in each of their last six league games — their longest such streak since an eight-game run between April and August 2024. Guardiola’s men have also been defensively elite, keeping more clean sheets (12) than any other side since their 5-1 defeat to Arsenal in February. In that span, they’ve conceded just 15 goals in 22 matches (0.68 per game) — a figure matched only by Arsenal. A 4—1—4—1 formation with Haaland in attack is expected against Villa.