Aston Villa return to action tonight in a blockbuster clash with Manchester City, a game that could see one Villan take advantage of a key absence.
The scene is set for a blockbuster at the Etihad Stadium tonight, as Aston Villa prepare to go head-to-head with Manchester City in the Premier League.
Unai Emery will be hoping that his side can build on their win against Wolves on Saturday while the hosts will want to redeem themselves after their 0-0 draw with Arsenal.
The Gunners ensured that City were unable to score, recording the first time Pep Guardiola’s side hadn’t scored at home in two and a half years, reminding the league that the treble winners are in fact, human.
With City’s need to win now even greater, the Villans will face a vast challenge to overcome them however, their latest injury news could present an interesting prospect for one player.
Aston Villa team news v Manchester City
Against Arsenal, Guardiola was without Ederson, John Stones and Kyle Walker, as well as losing Nathan Ake to injury in the first half.
As a result, City’s back line was far from their preferred set-up, which will apply against Villa with Walker, Ake and Ederson out and Stones still a doubt.
This would come as encouraging news to some extent to Villa if they had their talisman playing to threaten the makeshift back four however, Ollie Watkins will be absent for the first time in the league this season.
Jacob Ramsey will also be unavailable as he continues to recover from injury, leaving a gap there for the likes of Morgan Rogers and most prominently, Jhon Duran, to impress.
Jhon Duran could see Man City test as a perfect opportunity
Labelled as being a player who loves “creating chaos” by journalist Jacob Tanswell, Duran certainly has the ability to make it count as he prepares to cover for Watkins’ injury.
The Colombian is known for his energetic and charismatic cameos for Villa, taking every chance he gets to put on a memorable display, whether it ends with a goal or not.
While the Manchester City test would look intimidating to most, it’s imaginable that Duran would thrive by being given an opportunity of such calibre, particularly when understanding the importance of his job in place of Watkins.
Earlier in the season, Tanswell expressed the striker’s need to feel ‘valued and loved’ in order to impress in a column for The Athletic, making this evening’s contest the ideal scenario for him to prove his worth.
It’s arguable that sometimes City expect teams to fear them, as seen by Arsenal’s approach as the Gunners failed to truly impose themselves in the final third.
For Duran, this won’t be an issue, with the 20-year-old’s playing style giving the feeling that he must get his job done and score, reinforced the last time he scored for Villa.
Against Ajax, the Colombia international scored in emphatic fashion, scoring from his fourth shot on goal in a cameo that was made up of only 24 touches of the ball, portraying his desperation to be the difference maker.
There’s a fantastic opportunity for the daring striker to now step up and show his worth to Emery this evening, with not many occasions bigger than Manchester City away.
