Aston Villa and Manchester City will face off in a crucial Premier League clash on Saturday as both teams look to bounce back from recent setbacks.

Unai Emery’s Villa side currently sit 7th in the table, just two points behind 5th-placed City. The Villans had been on a strong run of form before letting a late lead slip against Nottingham Forest last time out.

Meanwhile, the defending champions City have lost five of their last seven league games, including a dramatic derby defeat to Manchester United last weekend.

Pep Guardiola’s men now find themselves nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool, having played a game more.

Team News

Aston Villa are boosted by the potential returns of Leon Bailey and Tyrone Mings, who missed the Forest game through injury and illness respectively. However, Jacob Ramsey remains sidelined.

City’s injury list has eased, with Mateo Kovacic and John Stones back in contention. But Rodri, Oscar Bobb and Nathan Ake remain unavailable, while Manuel Akanji faces a late fitness test.

Predicted Lineups

Aston Villa (4-3-3):

Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne;

Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn;

Cash, Watkins, Rogers

Manchester City (4-3-3):

Ederson;

Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis;

Kovacic, De Bruyne, Foden;

Doku, Haaland, Silva

The match is finely poised, with both sides looking to get their seasons back on track. A draw would be a reasonable result, but the hosts’ strong home form suggests they could edge this one against the misfiring champions.