Man City vs. Aston Villa: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream & TV Info
Manchester City take on Aston Villa on Saturday in what will be a crucial match in determining their top-four credentials.
City currently occupy the final Champions League qualification position, seven points ahead of Liverpool, who have a game in hand, with five games remaining. City will be desperate to finish inside the top three, though, avoiding the problematic Champions League qualifying round.
Villa arrive in Manchester buoyed by last week’s superb FA Cup semi-final win over Liverpool at Wembley. Tim Sherwood has turned the club’s fortunes around since he took over in February; Villa currently sit 15th in the table.
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Date: Saturday, April 25
Kick-Off: 5:30 p.m. BST, 12:30 p.m. ET
TV Listings: Live on Sky Sports 1 (U.K.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (U.K.)
Form Guide (last five Premier League results)
City
City 2-0 West Ham
Manchester United 4-2 City
Crystal Palace 2-1 City
City 3-0 West Brom
Burnley 1-0 City
Villa
Tottenham 0-1 Villa
Villa 3-3 QPR
Manchester United 3-1 Villa
Villa 0-1 Swansea
Sunderland 0-4 Villa
Predicted Formations
City
Manuel Pellegrini, whose future at City has been cast in doubt this season, will be without Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Stevan Jovetic.
Villa
Gabriel Agbonlahor is back in contention but remains a doubt after his recent injury, but Aly Cissokho and Philippe Senderos could play.
Players to Watch
City: Sergio Aguero
With David Silva out, having suffered a facial injury in City's win over West Ham, the pressure on Sergio Aguero to step up and provide match-winning ability is increased.
His season has been beset by injuries, yet he's still managed to bag 26 goals in all competitions and enhance his reputation as one of the most feared strikers in football still further. He already has 101 goals in his short City career.
Give him half a yard and he'll usually punish you.
Villa: Fabian Delph
Sherwood may have brought tactical alterations to Villa and given them belief again, but it's still a squad that is lacking in genuine quality. However, in Fabian Delph, Villa do have one class act.
He is a superb passer and offers drive from midfield. With Christian Benteke's physicality likely to create pockets of space in behind, expect Delph to be trying to get on the ball in dangerous areas.
Key Battle: Eliaquim Mangala vs. Benteke
The injury to Vincent Kompany, which could keep the defender out until the end of the season, has presented Eliaquim Mangala with a wonderful opportunity to find some form before the season ends.
This weekend, though, he faces a stern test when he comes up against Benteke, Villa's powerful, in-form forward who has nine goals in his last seven matches. Stopping Benteke will be vital for City.
He's quick and physical, and since Sherwood took the reins at Villa he's been made the focal point of the team. Expect Villa to play long, direct balls into the Belgian in order to get some joy in this one.
Mangala can handle physicality well—he showed that earlier in the season on his debut marking Diego Costa—and this match is a great chance for him to enhance his reputation after a shaky first season in English football.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
City: -323
Villa: +882
Draw: +407
Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.
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