Aston Villa vs Manchester City Preview: Team News, H2H, early injury news, probable lineups, tickets and more

Sunday's early kickoff sees two sides in excellent form taking on each other as Aston Villa host Manchester City in the Premier League.

Emiliano Buendia scored a Goal of the Season contender as Aston Villa came from behind to defeat Tottenham away from home. Unai Emery's men have put their slow start behind them. They are flying with three consecutive victories in the league and are looking like European contenders again. A resilient midfield with individual brilliance in attack will be tough for any side to contain. However, they came crashing to the ground after losing to Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League. Emery's focus will be on extending the winning run in the league. They enjoy a fairly successful recent head-to-head record with Manchester City and will be eager to extend it.

Pep Guardiola's side is known for having multiple match winners. But in 2025, we may just as well call Manchester City an Erling Haaland team. The Norwegian goal machine was on target yet again as City made short work of Villarreal in the Champions League. However, the Cityzens are looking much sharper and are controlling games better. They are nine games unbeaten and rose to second in the Premier League thanks to that run. As the momentum builds steadily, expect them to mount a title challenge.

As Aston Villa faces Manchester City, this Premier League tie promises excitement on and off the pitch. For bettors interested in maximizing their gains, engaging with local betting platforms can provide unique opportunities. Completing a Hollywoodbets registration process enables access to tailored promotions and an expansive betting landscape, ideal for enhancing your betting strategy.

Aston Villa vs Manchester City last-minute tickets: How to buy

Villa Park will be hoping for some more stylish goals when Manchester City visit them on Sunday. With StubHub, you can even get tickets at the last-minute and catch all the action live from the ground.

READ MORE: Premier League 2025/26 tickets: £51 tickets, October fixtures, resale & more

How to watch Aston Villa vs Manchester City online - TV channels & live streams

The game will be telecast on Sky Sports for fans in the UK. It can also be streamed on Sky Sports' services. Fans in the US can watch the game on the USA Network and Telemundo. They can also livestream the game on Fubo in the US and Canada.

READ MORE: How to get a five-day free pass with Fubo

How to watch Aston Villa vs Manchester City worldwide

Here is how you can watch Aston Villa vs Manchester City worldwide.

How to watch anywhere with a VPN

If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are not sure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sports.

Aston Villa vs Manchester City Key Matchups

Morgan Rogers vs Nico Gonzalez: Rogers was jeered at Villa Park after a shockingly poor performance against Bologna in the Europa League. The English international switched things up after that setback. The international break helped his confidence as he scored an excellent goal on the weekend against Tottenham. With growing impact, he is back to running things for the Villans. Nico Gonzalez will be tasked with keeping him quiet. The prolonged absence of Rodri is helping the Spaniard own the defensive midfield spot. He has continued to impress and will be hoping for another outstanding outing. A rough tackle midweek casts doubts over his availability on the weekend. He can still make the lineup following a late fitness test.

Ollie Watkins vs Ruben Dias: With his peers kicking into form, Watkins would be itching to have a big performance and win the game for his side. Watkins had a 30-minute cameo, brushing off a collision with the post during the international break. He will be expected to lead the line against City on Sunday. Dias became a key component of the buildup for City with his volume passing and the newfound ability to break the lines. He will be marking Watkins closely as the striker tries to peel away from him.

Erling Haaland vs Pau Torres: At the moment, there seems to be no immovable object capable of stopping the unstoppable force that is Haaland. The striker scored in 12 consecutive games for club and country. The Golden Boot now seems like a mere formality as he leads his side’s title charge. The duo of Torres and Ezri Konsa will need to be at their very best to prevent Haaland from scoring a brace. While the first goal appears inevitable, perhaps they can stop him from grabbing the second.

Aston Villa vs Manchester City Prediction

These sides have traded a win and a loss alternatively in their last four encounters. Emery's midblock and counterattack always suffocates Manchester City. There will be an end-to-end clash with goals and drama, with points being shared.

GOAL's Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester City

Aston Villa vs Manchester City kick-off time

Premier League - Premier League

Villa Park

Villa Park will host the clash at 14:00 BST / 15:00 BST / 09:00 ET on Sunday, 26th October.

Aston Villa vs Manchester City Team news & squads

Aston Villa vs Manchester City lineups

Aston Villa

4-2-3-1

Formation

4-1-4-1

MCI

23

E. Martinez

14

P. Torres

4

E. Konsa

2

M. Cash

12

L. Digne

27

M. Rogers

24

A. Onana

44

B. Kamara

10

E. Buendia

7

C

J. McGinn

11

O. Watkins

25

G. Donnarumma

27

M. Nunes

3

R. Dias

5

J. Stones

24

J. Gvardiol

52

O. Bobb

4

T. Reijnders

20

C

B. Silva

26

Savinho

47

P. Foden

9

Erling Haaland

4-1-4-1

MCI

AVL

-Line up

• 23

  E. Martinez

• 14

  P. Torres

• 4

  E. Konsa

• 2

  M. Cash

  19’

• 12

  L. Digne

  86’

• 27

  M. Rogers

• 24

  A. Onana

• 44

  B. Kamara

  81’

• 10

  E. Buendia

  19’

  29’

• 7

  J. McGinn (C)

  74’

• 11

  O. Watkins

  86’

Substitutes

• 40

  M. Bizot

• 3

  Victor Lindelof

• 6

  R. Barkley

  74’

• 26

  L. Bogarde

• 22

  I. Maatsen

  86’

• 5

  T. Mings

• 17

  D. Malen

  86’

• 19

  J. Sancho

  29’, 74’

• 29

  E. Guessand

  74’

Manager

• U. Emery

MCI

-Line up

• 25

  G. Donnarumma

• 27

  M. Nunes

• 3

  R. Dias

• 5

  J. Stones

  61’

• 24

  J. Gvardiol

• 52

  O. Bobb

  61’

• 4

  T. Reijnders

  54’

  76’

• 20

  B. Silva (C)

  61’

• 26

  Savinho

  40’

  84’

• 47

  P. Foden

  80’

• 9

  Erling Haaland

Substitutes

• 10

  R. Cherki

  76’

• 14

  N. Gonzalez

  61’

  64’

• 82

  R. Lewis

• 11

  J. Doku

  61’

• 1

  J. Trafford

• 6

  N. Ake

• 33

  N. O'Reilly

  61’

• 8

  M. Kovacic

• 7

  O. Marmoush

  84’

Manager

• P. Guardiola

Aston Villa team news

Getty Images

Buendia will surely be hopeful of getting a start after that wonderful goal on the weekend. It will come at the expense of Evann Guessand. Watkins will also be in contention to start over Donyell Malen. The industry of Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana will be utilised yet again as the defence remains the same. Digne is expected to be fit for the clash. Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley are ruled out of the fixture.

Predicted Lineup: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Onana; Buendia, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins

Manchester City team news

Getty Images

Guardiola revealed that he will not rush Rodri back in, and the Ballon d'Or winner is a week away from action. He has the luxury of rotation in other spots, as Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki returned to the fold with cameos recently. They will be pushing for a start on the weekend to contribute to their team. Gonzalez is subject to a late fitness test before the clash.

Predicted Lineup: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gonzalez; Foden, Cherki, Reijnders, Marmoush; Haaland

Form

Head-to-Head Record

AVL

Last 5 matches

MCI

2

Wins

0

Draws

3

Wins

• Manchester City

  2

  -

  1

  Aston Villa

• Aston Villa

  2

  -

  1

  Manchester City

• Manchester City

  4

  -

  1

  Aston Villa

• Aston Villa

  1

  -

  0

  Manchester City

• Manchester City

  3

  -

  1

  Aston Villa

6

Goals scored

10

Games over 2.5 goals

4/5

Both teams scored

4/5

The Last Meeting

City were the outgoing champions as they welcomed Villa in a crunch clash for Champions League football. Villa could've eclipsed the hosts with a win. Bernardo Silva struck first as the hosts opened the scoring in the 7th minute. Marcus Rashford immediately equalised from the spot for the visitors. It was a nervy encounter as both sides had chances till the final minute. It was Doku who made the difference in the 94th minute as he drove past Axel Disasi and put it on a plate for Matheus Nunes, who scored to seal the result for the hosts. The massive three points helped them clinch a Champions League spot with ease.

Standings

Useful links

• Latest betting updates (US) | Latest betting updates (UK)
• Aston Villa team page
• Manchester City team page
• Football on TV in the UK
• Soccer on TV in the US