Man City vs Aston Villa Prediction and Betting Tips: City to Step Up Title Chase
Manchester City lost ground in the title race over the weekend as they were held to a goalless draw at home by second placed Arsenal, with Liverpool moving into pole position with victory over Brighton.
Aston Villa are also in desperate need of a result as they battle for a place in next season’s Champions League. The visitors sit in fourth spot, five points behind their hosts while they are just three points clear of Spurs in fifth, having played a game more.
This key battle in terms of the title race and the top-four fight takes place at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday April 3 and will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 in the UK.
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Man City vs Aston Villa Tips
Perhaps surprisingly, defending champions City have struggled against their key rivals and they are now winless in six attempts in games against teams who are currently in the top five after Sunday’s goalless stalemate with Arsenal.
Villa claimed a 1-0 win over City in the reverse fixture earlier in the season and they were perhaps unlucky not to win by a bigger margin on the day. Pep Guardiola’s side are a far stronger team on home soil and they are yet to lose in any competition in front of their own fans this season, winning 10 of their 15 Premier League home fixtures, but Villa should feel they can get something here after their dominant display when the pair last met in December.
Unai Emery’s side have the fourth best road record in the division but they do have a major injury concern coming into Wednesday’s game, with top scorer Ollie Watkins rated as a doubt after he was forced off against Wolves last time out.
City could be without first choice stopper Ederson again, although understudy Stefan Ortega is yet to concede since stepping in for the Brazilian.
Villa’s 1-0 win over City earlier in the season bucked a bit of a trend as both teams had scored in each of the previous five meetings, with the team from Manchester winning four of those.
We may see a return to the status quo here as City’s formidable home form could prove to be the key. Pep Guardiola’s side may well feel they have entered must-win territory as Arsenal and Liverpool are showing no signs of slipping up, and they can make home advantage count.
However, Villa are strong travellers - they have the fourth best away record in the league - and they can at least get a goal and keep this game close, even if they do ultimately fall short. The visitors have hit an impressive tally of 25 goals across their 15 away games in the league this season and they can strike in defeat on Wednesday.
Unsurprisingly, the value is with the visiting players in the scorer market and Leon Bailey looks an interesting option at 11/2.
The Jamaica international scored the only goal of the game when these sides met back in December and has been getting plenty of chances recently.
Bailey is averaging 1.8 shots per game across his last 13 league games, up from 1.6 for the season, and he has managed at least one attempt on goal in all of those fixtures.
With Watkins potentially missing, Villa may well have to look elsewhere for goals and therefore Bailey looks an interesting outside pick for an anytime goal.
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