Man City vs Aston Villa Prediction: Absolute must-win for Guardiola’s men

A bus was parked in East Manchester last Sunday afternoon. The driver was one William Saliba, significantly aided and abetted it has to be said by many fellow rear Gunners, and Manchester City could find no way around it.

Liverpool head the Premier League, two points clear of Arsenal and three ahead of City, and Guardiola's troops must regroup and face the considerable challenge of Aston Villa at the Etihad on Wednesday evening, 20:15, April 3. It's a must-win, frankly, but Villa have ambitions of their own. Should be a cracker, with the Villans' own bus likely to feature in far more dangerous, advanced positions.

Villa are enjoying a stellar season. They sit presently as I write in fourth place, a position that increasingly looks to lie between themselves and Tottenham Hotspur. A Champions League spot is very much within their grasp then, so they'll be anxious to try to get something from the game if at all possible.

City for their part will welcome any Villa ambitions, unlike those shunned by Arsenal on Sunday, as the game will be more open and potentially stretched as a consequence. I'm not expecting any gung-ho abandon from Unai Emery's men, but with the likes of Bailey, Diaby, Tielemans and Luiz likely to figure, there's clear and present danger at all times.

Match odds

City 2/7, Draw 5/1, Villa 17/2

Team news

Villa are sadly likely to be without, I understand, striker Ollie Watkins, struck by a hamstring injury at weekend. John McGinn too, so influential, is banned at present. Tyrone Mings (knee), Boubacar Kamara (knee), Emiliano Buendia (knee), and Matty Cash (thigh) are also unavailable. Lucas Digne could start at left-back.

City have had a difficult time themselves with injuries this campaign, losing De Bruyne and Haaland for extended spells, particularly the former. Ederson, Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker and John Stones are doubts right now, and with huge matches coming thick and fast including the small matter of Real Madrid in the Champions League, risks cannot realistically be taken.

Julian Alvarez to score at any time - 13/8

KDB returned to the side with a tremendous flourish several weeks ago but has been a little becalmed, by his high standards, of late. He played well enough I thought at weekend, evading several pursuers on more than one occasion, but that killer final pass just wasn't there.

Phil Foden looked tired - unsurprising after featuring for England heavily of late, and carrying a good deal of City's attacking potency on his slim shoulders, too. Erling Haaland is having a huge arm-wrestle most weeks with uncompromising defenders, whereas last term he was showing them an unflattering view of his rear end in the main, bursting the net with metronomic precision.

Gundogan is being missed - hugely. Useful, often critical goals. International-class experience. Level-headedness. Quality. Mahrez, too. One 'replacement' of sorts, Doku, is still very much a work-in-progress. If City wish to add further trophies this season they'll need all their big personalities to stand up and be counted.

Julian Alvarez has scored eight PL goals so far, and if City are to prosper in the coming white-hot weeks, that tally needs to inflate significantly across all remaining competitions. I think he's got a bright chance to start against Villa, but in any event he'll surely feature at some point (fingers crossed).

13/8 about him scoring at any time isn't going to make us rich, but I believe it's a very sound proposition. The man with more medals than Muttley could ever dream about can be a pivotal figure for the champions over the upcoming, crucial run of matches.

Man City to win & both teams to score - 7/5

Villa will bemoan the loss of Watkins, if indeed his absence is confirmed. He's got 16 PL goals under his belt, only two behind Haaland, and seemingly is involved in a fascinating tussle with the likes of Ivan Toney for a spot in Southgate's Euro 24 squad. He's surely on the plane. Both, perhaps?

Douglas Luiz, with nine, and Leon Bailey, eight, have chipped in brilliantly too. They present a classy goal-threat that could well be rewarded - but does that get them over the line on Wednesday?

Not for me. City have proved time and again in recent years their resilience. They're palpably not at their best. One or two aren't quite firing on all cylinders. But show them a must-win and nine times out of ten that's exactly what happens.

This is a terrific match on paper, but given Villa's likely key absentees, and City's relative desperation to keep tabs on Liverpool and Arsenal, I'm taking the Blues to win by something in the order of 3-1, which can be backed incidentally at 9/1.

Football betting tips from Betfred Insights.