Football
EPL: Aston Villa vs Manchester City Preview: Tips, Odds, and Prediction
SportsBoom previews the English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester City at Villa Park in Birmingham on Saturday, 21 December 2024. Want to find out the best football betting platform and tips for this match? We have all the player stats and team form to get you excited for this game. Be sure to read our in-depth preview for everything you need to know about this thrilling match.
Bernardo Silva Morgan Rogers//Getty Images
As of the 12th of December 2024, Aston Villa find themselves sitting in 6th place on the 2024-2025 English Premier League table with 25 points from 15 matches played which includes seven wins, four draws and four defeats.
ASTON VILLA VS MANCHESTER CITY MATCH DETAILS
Date: Saturday, 21 December, 2024
Kickoff Time: 14:30 local time (09:30 ET / 06:30 PT)
Location: Villa Park, Birmingham
Last meeting: Manchester City 4-1 Aston Villa (Apr 03, 2024, Premier League)
Brentford midfielder Yoane Wissa scored a goal after just 22 seconds in a 2-1 defeat against Manchester City on the 14th of September 2024. This is the fastest goal of the 2024-2025 English Premier League season as of the 12th of December 2024.
Meanwhile, the Citizens' search for a fifth Premier League title in a row looks to be faltering. Manchester City currently find themselves occupying fourth place on the table with 27 points from 15 matches played which includes eight wins, three draws and four defeats.
Manchester City have won three out of their last five games against Aston Villa. There has been one draw and Aston Villa has won once in that run. The most recent match between the two teams ended in a 4-1 victory for the Citizens.
PRE-GAME ODDS AND WIN PROBABILITY: CITY FIRM FAVOURITES
Home: 5/2 (3.50) - 28,6%
Draw: 59/20 (3.95) - 25,3%
Away: 24/25 (1.96) - 51%
*Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Last Five Meetings (Premier League)
03/04/24: Manchester City 4-1 Aston Villa
06/12/23: Aston Villa 1-0 Manchester City
12/02/23: Manchester City 3-1 Aston Villa
03/09/22: Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester City
22/05/22: Manchester City 3-2 Aston Villa
ASTON VILLA: CURRENT FORM - WWWLD
Aston Villa beat RB Leipzig 3-2 in a UEFA Champions League match on the 10th of December. Before this game, they also scored victories against Southampton and Brentford. Aston Villa have been tough to beat at home. The last time they lost at Villa Park was in a 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace on the 30th of October 2024.
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Ollie Watkins: The Aston Villa forward is an incredible player who is capable of getting a goal when Aston Villa need it most. Most of the time, Ollie Watkins will take a chance that comes his way. The Villans will be looking to get Watkins in on goal during this game.
- Lucas Digne: The French international is an experienced defender. Digne has played over 200 matches in the English Premier League, and he has kept over 30 clean sheets. Manchester City get ready for a big battle when Digne is playing.
- Pau Torres: The Aston Villa defender can activate his team's counter-attacking weaponry with accurate long passes. Pau Torres is important to the Villans' build-up play through his positioning and his vision on the ball.
ASTON VILLA TEAM NEWS
Aston Villa are expected to start their big guns against Manchester City. The likes of Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans are all expected to be in the starting team.
MANCHESTER CITY: CURRENT FORM - LDWLD
Manchester City have only won one of their last five matches in all competitions. The Citizens lost 2-0 against Juventus on the 11th of December. Before this match, they drew 2-2 against Crystal Palace. Prior to this game, they beat Nottingham Forest 3-0, lost 2-0 against Liverpool and drew 3-3 with Feyenoord Rotterdam.
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Bernardo Silva: The Manchester City midfielder has made over 240 appearances in the English Premier League, and he has scored over 35 goals. Bernardo Silva has won the English Premier League on six occasions throughout his career. Every side wants a player of the same quality as Silva to be in their team.
- Josko Gvardiol: The Croatian defender has scored three goals for Manchester City throughout the 2024-2025 Premier League season. Josko Gvardiol has played over 40 English Premier League games throughout his career, and he has scored over five goals. The Citizens have kept 12 clean sheets with Gvardiol in defence.
- Ilkay Gundogan: The Manchester City midfielder has played over 200 English Premier League games throughout his career. Ilkay Gundogan has also scored over 40 goals in the Premier League. Gundogan is a talented player who has the ability to inspire his team to victory.
MANCHESTER CITY TEAM NEWS
The Citizens will field their strongest team for this match against Aston Villa. The likes of Bernardo Silva, Josko Gvardiol, and Erling Haaland are all expected to be in the starting team.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
ASTON VILLA: 4-2-3-1
Martinez, Torres, Digne, Konsa, Carlos, Rogers, McGinn, Kamara, Tielemans, Cash, Watkins.
MANCHESTER CITY: 4-3-3
Ortega; Walker, Dias, Simpson-Pusey, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Silva, De Bruyne; Foden, Doku, Haaland
SUGGESTED BETS
If you want the best betting tips, here are some bets you can place at some of the top Premier League sportsbooks.
Both Teams to Score: We believe that Manchester City will be hurting from their recent run of bad form, and they will go in search of goals against Aston Villa. The Villans will not step back for the Citizens. Both teams have good attacking players and we could see goals at both ends of the pitch. (13/25 with Betway) (49/100 with BC.Game) (13/25 with N1Bet)
Over 2.5 Goals: Three out of the last five matches between Aston Villa and Manchester City have been full of goals with Over 2.5 goals in these three games. (14/25 with Betway) (14/25 with BC.Game) (11/20 with N1Bet)
Any team to score from a penalty: We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again. The referee with the help of the VAR just loves to award penalties at even the slightest nudge. There is a good chance that we could see a penalty being awarded in this game.
VALUE BETS
Erling Haaland - Anytime Goalscorer: The Norwegian forward is the joint top goalscorer in the 2024-2025 English Premier League with 13 goals as of the 12th of December 2024. Erling Haaland is the complete package. Haaland has scored over 70 goals in just over 80 Premier League matches.
Phil Foden - Anytime Goalscorer: Phil Foden won the 2023-2024 English Premier League Player of the Season. Foden will look to up his game to get his team back in the title race. Form is temporary and class is permanent. We expect players like Foden to rise to the challenge and it could be this game that City turn the tables with Foden finding the back of the net for his team.
Ollie Watkins - Anytime Goalscorer: The Aston Villa forward has scored seven goals in the 2024-2025 Premier League. Ollie Watkins has played over 150 matches in the English Premiership, and he has scored over 60 goals.
PREDICTION: MANCHESTER CITY TO WIN
If any team can show their championship qualities and get themselves back in the title race with a long winning streak, it is Manchester City. We believe that this might just be Manchester City’s performance of the season. The Citizens will win this match against Aston Villa.
Josh has over ten years of experience as a Sports Writer. Josh has created content for some of the biggest sports brands and publications in South Africa. Josh is a creative writer who puts you in the game with his unique content. Josh writes about Soccer, Rugby, Cricket, Basketball, Darts, Golf, and all major sports.