Aston Villa return to action in the Premier League on Wednesday night, with treble winners Manchester City next up however, Pep Guardiola’s side will be without a number of key players.
Aston Villa will be hopeful of replicating their result against Manchester City at Villa Park back in December, as Unai Emery’s side travel to the Etihad ahead of tomorrow night’s game.
It’s set to be a blockbuster fixture between the two sides, who will be eager to record three points at what is a crucial time for both clubs.
While City will hope to remain in the title race following their 0-0 draw with Arsenal, Villa will have the motivation to maintain their lead in the race for fourth place, with Spurs narrowly behind the Villans.
A trip to the Etihad is never an easy prospect for any side considering that Guardiola’s star-studded squad haven’t lost at home since 2022 although, tomorrow the Spaniard has confirmed he will be without a number of key players.
Pep Guardiola issues Manchester City injury update ahead of Aston Villa clash
As relayed by journalist Fabrizio Romano, the City manager has confirmed that he will be without three of his favoured XI against Villa.
The hosts will be without Ederson, Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake and potentially John Stones, who Guardiola admitted could ‘maybe’ return to action after being an unused substitute against Arsenal on Sunday.
While Ederson and Walker were absent against the Gunners, Ake is an added blow for the treble winners as the Dutchman was forced to withdraw in the first half on Sunday.
Villa would have seen just how much the European champions struggled to break Arsenal down yesterday, with the absence of both Stones and Walker being detrimental to how they moved the ball forward.
Aston Villa will have their own injuries to battle against Manchester City
It can’t exactly be described as an advantage for the Villans for City to be without the trio, considering the overwhelming depth in quality Guardiola’s side possesses.
The visitors themselves will have a notable absence to deal with, as Emery earlier today confirmed that Ollie Watkins will miss the clash due to a “small injury”.
Villa’s leading talisman was forced to come off at half time against Wolves last week, with Jacob Ramsey and captain John McGinn being the other notable players that will be missing.
It’s set to be a difficult yet thrilling game between the two sides, who will have to put their squad concerns aside to battle for three points in Manchester.
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