In a twist of fate, Manchester City lost their pre-ordained spot atop the Premier League, slipping to third, two points off the lead. They now must contend with a top-of-the-table clash against Aston Villa, who find themselves in fourth, a point behind City.
Aston Villa vs Man City Betting Tips
- Over 3 Goals @6/5 with bet365
- Double Chance - Aston Villa or Draw @1/1 with bet365
- Under 5 Match Cards @10/11 with bet365
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
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Unai Emery’s efforts at Villa have been well documented and have come to fruition as he took over a failing side last year, and turned them into a true powerhouse of English football. Long may this continue as they look now to take the fight to the big boys of the Premier League.
Goals in the Midlands
These two high-flying sides should no doubt bring the goal with them, this then only added to by Villa Park's recent spate of high-scoring results.
Villa currently has the second-highest average in the league for games seeing the over three goal line hit, as 64% of their matches have seen this.
Yet this rises to 100% of the games when playing at home. No game here has seen less than four goals and, with the two in-form strike forces matching up, this could feasibly go much higher.
City’s last five games have seen an average of 5.2 goals per game, and against Villa, where they could be put on the back foot early, they will have to answer back with multiple goals.
Two of the last three meetings between these two have seen the over hit, and with Villa bringing the home form this should be no different.
Aston Villa vs Man City Tip 1: Over 3 Goals @6/5 with bet365
The Fortress of Villa Park
Man City are currently three games without a win and could well smash themselves against the walls of Villa Park to no avail.
Villa have won every single game they have played at home this season, showing no signs of slowing down, even when faced with decent opponents.
Whilst there is no doubt that City are an extremely talented side, Unai Emery’s men, with the Villa faithful at their back, could well deny them the three points.
The double chance, at bang-on evens, looks like a handy option, as the home side can maintain their 100% record at home, or even just take a point from the match.
City’s recent record appears to lean this way, but one simply cannot count out the Villains' ability to steal the game.
Aston Villa vs Man City Tip 2: Double Chance - Aston Villa or Draw @1/1 with bet365
Classy sides to emerge clean
Aston Villa have held a reputation as a hard-hitting side, living up to their moniker of being the Villains, yet under the tutelage of Emery, this is swiftly changing.
City has rarely been accused of being a dirty team, and as these two match up the cards are expected to remain in the referee's pocket.
Villa only averages 2.71 cards per game, whilst City see this fall to a mere 2.14. This is to be a game of beautiful football, most likely, devoid of the hard challenges that feature across much of the EFL.
As City and Villa play their game, with passing moves, letting the ball do the work, there is likely to be little opportunity for challenges to come thick or fast, as the under-five cards should be nicely in hand.
Aston Villa vs Man City Tip 3: Under 5 Match Cards @10/11 with bet365