Third hosts fourth in Wednesday’s Premier League showdown at the Etihad Stadium, as Manchester City pit their wits against Aston Villa. The reigning champions settled for a point in a goalless draw with title rivals Arsenal at the weekend, while Unai Emery‘s charges were convincing 2-0 winners over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
One point separates the holders from second-placed Arsenal, who also return to action on Wednesday night – but Liverpool have now strode three clear of the Citizens, who need a five-goal swing in their favour on Wednesday to usurp the Reds for at least 24 hours.
Defensive concerns continue to rear their ugly heads for Man City at a pivotal point in the season, as Nathan Ake had to be taken off in the first half of Sunday’s draw with Arsenal with an unspecified concern, while neither Ederson nor Kyle Walker recovered from their thigh injuries in time either.
With Emery’s former employers Arsenal frustrating Man City to excellent effect with their defensive stance, it will be interesting to see whether the Villa boss opts for such a conservative setup or persists with his risky high line, which Guardiola’s men can certainly exploit.
The Lions have proven highly resilient on the road either way, but with Watkins emerging as a serious doubt and their hosts able to switch up their attacking resources, we can only envisage Man City making it 14 home wins on the bounce against the visitors to get their title defence back on track.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
