Manchester City vs Aston Villa
England – Premier League
Date: Sunday, 22 May 2022
Kick-off at 16:00 UK/ 17:00 CET
Venue: Etihad Stadium.
On Sunday, Manchester City and Aston Villa will compete for the Premier League title.
Despite a stellar career, Steven Gerrard only had a few chances to assist his beloved Liverpool win Premier League titles during his time at Anfield.
But he will have the chance to do so again on Sunday, this time as the manager of Aston Villa, when his team takes on Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.
This will be a dead rubber match for Aston Villa in terms of final-day permutations and combinations.
The Villans are safely out of the relegation zone, but they have no realistic chance of finishing in the top half of the standings.
However, if Gerrard’s side can hold Manchester City to a draw, Liverpool would be able to pull what would be the largest title heist in Premier League history.
The two teams are currently separated by one point heading into this last matchday, with Man City holding a slim lead.
However, if they draw against Aston Villa, they risk losing the league title if Liverpool beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on the last day.
Liverpool would have won most of the league titles over the last two decades if they had 89 points, but the fact that they are currently trailing by a point is a credit to Manchester City’s brilliance and consistency under Pep Guardiola.
But, following a 2-2 draw with West Ham, the Catalan manager will be looking for a win as the hosts attempt to defend their crown for the second time in three years.
And we’ll run the rule over these two sides here at The Hard Tackle before of their crucial matchup at the Etihad this Saturday.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa Head to head :
- 7 of the last 8 encounters had 3 or more goals.
- The latest meeting had finished in a 1-2 win for the Citizens.
- They are on an 8-fixture winning streak.
- The latest clash at this ground had finished in a 2-0 win for the hosts.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa Prediction :
When Manchester City players take the pitch on Sunday, nerves will be jangling.
Despite the enormity of the match, the hosts have the experience and quality required to defeat Villa, particularly in front of their home crowd.
Aston Villa, in fact, may struggle under pressure and find it tough to handle Man City’s formidable attack, which might spread them apart with their wide strikers.
The goal for the Villans will be to contain De Bruyne, but with the in-form Jesus, Silva, and Sterling also posing a threat, we predict the visitors to lose.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa Team News :
Kyle Walker and John Stones both returned to team training earlier this week following initial fears that they would miss the rest of the season, and City could be granted a few of injury boosts before the end of the season.
If Stones is fit enough, he could replace Fernandinho at center-back, although Walker may not be risked, and Guardiola will be without Ruben Dias due to his current hamstring injury.
Guardiola made no substitutions at the London Stadium and may choose to maintain Grealish in the starting lineup against his former club, while Raheem Sterling might return if penalty hero Riyad Mahrez is replaced.
Ezri Konsa, a Villa defender, has began his 16-week recuperation from a catastrophic knee injury, and he is joined in the treatment room by Kortney Hause, who is dealing with an abdominal condition.
Due to a foot ailment, Leon Bailey faces an uphill struggle to make himself available, and Gerrard may be tempted to make a couple of changes, starting with Bertrand Traore or Philippe Coutinho replacing Carney Chukwuemeka.
While Hause and Konsa are out, Cal Chambers will continue to partner Mings at the defense, while Danny Ings, another former Liverpool player, could provide some welcome fresh legs in the final third.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Cancelo, Stones, Laporte, Zinchenko; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Sterling, Jesus, Grealish
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Chambers, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Luiz, Ramsey; Coutinho; Watkins, Ings
