Aston Villa vs. Manchester City: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

After going through an unbeaten start to the season, Aston Villa face the possibility of going three defeats in a row with the visit of Manchester City in Saturday's late kick-off.

Paul Lambert's men made the most of their opening schedule to ascend the Premier League's ranks, but Manuel Pellegrini's men threaten to pile further woe on the west Midlands outfit at Villa Park.

It's a tough ask for the Villans to bounce back from recent losses to Arsenal and Chelsea, but they'll hope City suffer a midweek hangover after drawing 1-1 against Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 4

Time: 5:30 p.m. BST/12:30 p.m. ET

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK, subscription required), NBC Sports Live Extra (US, subscription required)

TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK), NBC (US)

Key Players to Watch

Aston Villa: Tom Cleverley

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Failing to live up to expectations at Old Trafford, it was always supposed that a loan spell with Villa could help revitalise Tom Cleverley's career, and the early signs appear strong that the midfielder will be doing just that.

Forming a strong playmaking pivot alongside Ashely Westwood and Fabian Delph, Cleverley spoke to the club's official website of his joy at how he has settled:

"

It's been brilliant here. Everyone at the club has welcomed me really well. I am enjoying myself, I am playing - and playing with two fantastic midfielders in Fabian and Ashley.

I have been really impressed with the level of the squad and it's a pleasure to play with the two of them. They're on the same wavelength as me. I am really enjoying my football. The more we train together and the more we play together, the stronger we will get. Hopefully we carry it on.

"

Up against the titans of the Etihad Stadium, Cleverley will face his third monumental task in succession, with the ranks of Yaya Toure and Fernandinho promising to make his day's work a difficult one.

If Villa are ever to establish a foothold, it's vital that the possession they do have is stretched out. Not only will this be vital in preventing City from getting on the ball too often, but the hosts will have to be cunning enough to carve out clear chances for the likes of Andreas Weimann and Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Cleverley's big-match experience from his time at United must shine through for Lambert's men.

Manchester City: Edin Dzeko

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

He couldn't make the difference against Roma in midweek, but Edin Dzeko remains a man very much in form after netting four goals in his last two domestic games.

Braces against Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday in the Premier League and Capital One Cup respectively have given the Bosnian a new sense of vigour in Pellegrini's attack.

However, NBC's Arlo White noted that the forward looked tame against the Giallorossi:

Showing once more that he's capable of threatening the likes of Sergio Aguero and Stevan Jovetic up front, Dzeko will look to have a similar impact against Villa.

Lambert's men have conceded just seven goals this season, six of those in their last two outings, and City's attack must make the most of any chances they create.

Stoke City showed in August that even the Citizens can be restrained, but Dzeko offers a threat both inside and outside of the box and will need taming.