Aston Villa welcome Manchester City to Villa Park tonight and given their home form there is a real chance they can get a result. Here are three reasons why they can…
This season has been one for Aston Villa fans to remember such has been their form across the whole campaign so far.
Under Unai Emery’s management, the Villans have been transformed from a mid-table side to a Champions League challenger.
The key to the form under the Spaniard has been the standards that have been shown at home. At Villa Park, they haven’t fallen to defeat since February which has been a pillar of their rise up the Premier League. This week poses an opportunity to equal a club record of 14 home wins on the bounce.
This week Manchester City and Arsenal travel to B6 in one of the toughest threats to the Villans’ home form in a long time.
With Pep Guardiola up against Unai Emery this week, how can the latter the better of the Man City boss?
Three reasons why Aston Villa can beat Man City
Rodri Missing
It is safe to say that Rodri is one of the most important players in the stacked City squad. There is an obvious difference to the side when the Spaniard is missing from their starting XI. It is safe to say the drop-off in quality is large when he isn’t playing.
At Villa Park, Rodri is going to miss out due to suspension which is music to Villa fans’ ears. This is especially the case as he always seems to score against the Villans. It is unclear as to who will replace the Champions League final goalscorer but there are plenty of options. One is Villa-linked Kalvin Phillips, but he has only featured in 89 Premier League minutes this season.
With him missing, it provides a better opportunity for Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz to get control of the midfield. It will also make it easier for the Villa attackers as there is less cover for the back line. It won’t make it easy but it will make it less difficult for sure and is one of the reasons Villa could win.
Wingers can flourish
Against Tottenham Hotspur, the Man City full-backs appeared to struggle, especially against Dejan Kulusevski. This was as he was looking to cut inside and make things happen.
With Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby potentially starting against the Cityzens, they will want to do the same thing. Josko Gvardiol was taken off and didn’t have the best day so he may be dropped. If the Villa wingers are on top of their game then this is one of the reasons why they can win.
Villa back line
Villa have caught their opponents offside over 163 times this season which makes them the most effective in Europe. This makes it hard for plenty of teams to play against the Villans as a general rule.
The form of Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa as a unit has been superb this season and have been unfortunate not to keep more clean sheets. Up against Erling Haaland, it is difficult for any defenders to prepare for, such is his ability. If the pair are on top of their game, they may be able to keep the Norweigan quiet.
It must be said that Man City are as tough a test as there is in the Premier League but there are reasons as to why the Villans can win.
