Manchester City have found results hard to come by against their top-five rivals this season and could be in line for another tricky evening when Aston Villa visit the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Man City vs Aston Villa Betting Tips
- Man City win & BTTS @ 6/4 with bet365
- Kevin De Bruyne over 0.5 assists @ 6/4 with bet365
- Leon Bailey over 0.5 shots on target @ 11/8 with bet365
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change
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City can claim rare win over key rival
Sunday’s goalless draw with Arsenal means that defending champions Manchester City have still to claim a league win over one of their current top-five rivals in six attempts, but they may just be able to end that run with three points against Aston Villa on Wednesday.
City are three points behind leaders Liverpool after the weekend’s fixtures and a win over Villa on Wednesday looks a must for Pep Guardiola’s troops, as both the Reds and Arsenal are up against teams in the drop zone in their own midweek assignments.
Villa won the reverse fixture 1-0 back in December and in truth they could have won by a bigger margin. City are a much stronger team at home, however, with 10 wins and five draws from 15 Premier League games - so they should be able to take some revenge here, even if Villa can make a game of it.
Backing a City win with goals at both ends appeals as the hosts have conceded in five of their previous six meetings with their current top-five rivals, while Villa have managed 25 goals in 15 away league games and should be able to keep this game competitive by grabbing a goal in defeat.
Man City vs Aston Villa Tip 1: Man City win & BTTS @ 6/4 with bet365
Assist king KDB can hurt Villa
Kevin De Bruyne has five assists in just 10 Premier League games this season after missing a large chunk of action due to injury. The Belgian’s record across all competitions is even more impressive with 13 assists in 15 games so he looks excellent value at 6/4 to register at least one helper against Villa.
Man City vs Aston Villa Tip 2: Kevin De Bruyne over 0.5 assists @ 6/4 with bet365
Bailey can test the keeper
The value is with the visiting players in the shots on target market and Leon Bailey looks a solid option in this one.
The Jamaica international averages 1.6 shots-per-game for the season and he sees exactly one attempt per-game either on target or blocked.
Bailey has upped his workrate in that regard over the last few months as well as he has managed at least one attempt on goal in each of his last 13 games - an average of 1.8 attempts per game during that stint.
The Villa forward scored the only goal of the game the last time these teams faced off and he can at least test the keeper when they meet again on Wednesday.
Man City vs Aston Villa Tip 3: Leon Bailey over 0.5 shots on target @ 11/8 with bet365