The closest team to league leaders Arsenal, at least right now, is Manchester City. Yes, even without the services of their most important/valuable player Rodri, City is in thick of the title race. Liverpool going on that recent slide opened the door for everyone else to come in, and Pep Guardiola’s men stepped up.
As for Aston Villa, well, last night’s result was disastrous. Premier League clubs really should not lose very often in the Europa League.
Aston Villa vs Manchester City FYIs
Kick-off time: 3PM GMT, Sunday, Oct. 26, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Form Guide Premier League: Aston Villa DDWWW Manchester City WDWWW
Premier League Position: Villa 11 pts, 12th Manchester City 2nd, 16 pts
Result Probability: Aston Villa win 23% Draw 24% Manchester City win 53%
And Go Ahead Eagles are a much smaller club than Villa, so that is simply inexcusable. Let’s see if Unai Emery can get his guys to respond.
Starting XI Predictions
Manchester City
Gianluigi Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol; Nico Gonzalez; Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Tijjani Reijnders, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland
Aston Villa
Emi Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Torres, Lucas Digne; Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana; Donyell Malen, Morgan Rogers, John McGinn; Ollie Watkins
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter