It certainly remains a big match, the one that will be played on Saturday afternoon at Villa Park between the hosts Aston Villa and Manchester City but, certainly, it will be a match between two teams disappointed by what they have achieved so far in the championship. Respectively in seventh and fifth place and therefore well below what they did last year, Villans and Citizens are playing here, also considering that it is the match before Christmas, their chances of restarting in a fascinating and unmissable head to head that promises spectacle and intensity in pure Premier League style.

Aston Villa's shape and main statistics

3 wins and 2 defeats in the last 5 games, with the same number of goals scored and conceded (8) give the idea of ​​a fearsome but slightly aloof team but Aston Villa, in recent seasons has accustomed us to being something more, therefore the Villans cannot say, for the moment, that they are very happy with the season even if the 13 points in 6 Champions League games are an excellent partial achievement that should be underlined.

At Villa Park, Aston Villa, as always, remains more fearsome and dangerous than they are away from Birmingham: the numbers that elect them as unbeaten in the last 7 Premier League games and more generally in 10 of the last 11 home games in all competitions, confirm that for the opponents, this away game always remains very treacherous.

Manchester City's shape and main statistics

For Manchester City, this end of 2024 is turning into a real nightmare that the epilogue of the derby lost 1-2 against United has fueled. Only 1 success in the last 11 games is already a negative statistic for any team and even more so for Manchester City but what leaves you astonished is the number of defeats in these 11 games: as many as 8!

Sticking to the Premier League, the numbers of Guardiola's team, overall, are still sufficient in some way: fifth place, precisely, and an average of 1.75 goals scored per match that can be defined as more than decent, but behind Haaland (13 goals for him in the league) there is a void, or rather a defender: the Croatian Gvardiol with 4 goals.

Match prediction and tactical overview

Both teams want to improve their situation and see in this match, if not the turning point, the possibility of a start of a climb. At Villa Park, Aston Villa never starts out defeated and above all is never timid and, for obvious reasons, Manchester City cannot play this match with fear or caution, therefore, even looking at how 6 of the last 7 in the league between Aston Villa and Manchester City have ended with both teams scoring, tthe BetMines prediction sees both teams to score at least a goal very likely. 

• The BetMines algorithm's prediction for the Aston Villa vs Manchester City match suggests that both teams will score at least one goal, with a 65% probability.
• The BetMines algorithm's prediction for the Aston Villa vs Manchester City match suggests that at least one team will not score any goals, with a 35% probability.
  
  

Probable lineups of Aston Villa – Manchester City

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Bailey, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins. Coach: Emery.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ederson, Lewis, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Kovacic; Bernardo, De Bruyne, Foden; Haaland. Coach: Guardiola.