Both hunting for their fourth Premier League wins on the spin, Aston Villa and Manchester City collide in a fascinating Sunday encounter at Villa Park.
However, the two continental competitors endured contrasting European results in midweek, as Pep Guardiola's Citizens prevailed in the Champions League while Unai Emery's men were stunned in the Europa League.
Match preview
Nine is more than fine for Man City's number nine, as in the Citizens' Champions League battle with Villarreal at Estadio de la Ceramica, the exquisite Erling Haaland made the net ripple for the ninth game running in a sky blue shirt.
The Norwegian's customary strike preceded a Bernardo Silva effort in a straightforward 2-0 triumph for Guardiola's men, who also bested Everton by the same scorelinelast time out in the Premier League thanks to Haaland's latest multiple-goal game.
Thanks in no small part to the Golden Boot favourite - who has scored 11 of City's 17 top-flight goals this season - and Liverpool's unforeseen plight, Guardiola's men are now Arsenal's closest challengers, sitting three points worse off than the Gunners in the Premier League table.
Consigning their August blips against Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur to history, City are now unbeaten in nine across all tournaments - winning seven and drawing two of those contests - while keeping three clean sheets in their last three triumphs.
In the Premier League alone, Man City's 39 points won since the start of April is more than any other team in the division, while a total of 12 top-flight clean sheets since February's 5-1 humiliation at the hands of Arsenal is also unrivalled.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery shouts at players on September 28, 2025
The Gunners' former boss Emery is now embarking on the same mission as Guardiola - win four Premier League games in succession - but the Lions lost their bite on Thursday night as Go Ahead Eagles soared to victory.
Evann Guessand's early opener was not a sign of things to come for Aston Villa, whose high line was exposed on more than one occasion by their Eredivisie counterparts as Emery's men suffered a surprise 2-1 loss in the league phase.
The Villans are therefore mourning the loss of their five-game winning run and six-game unbeaten sequence, but Emery's men have well and truly turned a corner in the Premier League, where Fulham, Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur have all fallen to their superiority in recent weeks.
Thanks to their recent resurgence, Aston Villa are now just 90 minutes away from matching an 89-year-old record, as only one side has ever started an English top-flight season with a five-game winless run before prevailing in their next four - Preston North End in 1936.
Equalling that feat may not be the tallest order, as Emery's men memorably beat Man City at home in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 Premier League campaigns, although April's meeting at the Etihad ended 2-1 in favour of the Citizens.
Aston Villa Premier League form:
L
D
D
W
W
W
Aston Villa form (all competitions):
W
W
W
W
W
L
Manchester City Premier League form:
L
W
D
W
W
W
Manchester City form (all competitions):
W
W
D
W
W
W
Team News
Manchester City's Nico Gonzalez during the warm-up on August 23, 2025
City's victory in Villarreal was not without sacrifice, as holding midfielder Nico Gonzalez was withdrawn just before the hour mark with a foot problem - a major concern with his superior Rodri already missing with a thigh injury.
However, Guardiola played down Gonzalez's concern as a "knock", so there is hope that the former Porto man will be able to take his place at the base of the engine room at Villa Park.
Ankle victim Abdukodir Khusanov is City's only other concern for the trip to the West Midlands, where the red-hot Haaland will look to score in a sixth successive Premier League away game - a feat only Sergio Aguero has ever managed for Man City.
As far as Villa are concerned, Emery's men came out of their loss to GA Eagles with bruised egos but no fresh injury blows, and Emery will be boosted by the return of experienced left-back Lucas Digne after the Frenchman was ineligible for Thursday's game.
Youri Tielemans is expected to spend another couple of weeks on the sidelines with his calf injury, though, while Andres Garcia is unlikely to return this side of the November international break.
Villa's unexpected loss in midweek can be partially attributed to a wealth of changes, and Emery will no doubt recall the likes of Morgan Rogers, John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara to his XI on Sunday.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Onana; Malen, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Nunes, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Gonzalez; Cherki, Foden, Reijnders, Doku; Haaland
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We say: Aston Villa 2-3 Manchester City
While Aston Villa's loss to Go Ahead Eagles must be taken with a pinch of salt given Emery's alterations, the Lions were arguably the victims of their own downfall with their high defensive line.
City talisman Haaland can feast on such tactics, and Guardiola's men should out-gun their hosts on the attacking front to come away with maximum points and keep Arsenal in check.
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