Aston Villa vs Manchester City: Premier League – teams, prediction, lineups

Manchester City can extend their perfect start to the Premier League season when they visit Aston Villa in Saturday's early kickoff, although trips to Villa Park have rarely been kind to them in recent years. Enzo Maresca's side are the only club with a 100 percent record after seven games — a run that makes the Italian the first manager ever to win his opening seven Premier League matches at a new club.

The build-up has centered on Phil Foden, who Maresca said he has spoken to several times as he tries to restore the England star to his best. Foden ended a 10-month wait for a goal in last weekend's 3-2 win over Ipswich, a reminder of the player who swept the Premier League's individual awards in 2023/24 after admitting struggles with his mental health. "I think it's my duty to try to help Phil to be again one of the best players in England," Maresca said.

Off the pitch, City continue to operate under the cloud of their legal battle over 100 alleged breaches of the competition's financial rules. The club have appealed, but a large points deduction — which could bring relegation — remains possible if the appeal fails.

Villa sit 12th in the table but a win would lift them to sixth, at least for a couple of hours. The Midlands club are on a six-match unbeaten run and arrived this season as Europa League champions after beating Freiburg 3-0, despite losing Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Martinez, Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins in the summer. History favors the hosts: City have not won at Villa Park since December 2021, Villa took last season's corresponding fixture 1-0 through Matty Cash, and the Opta supercomputer gives City only a 43 percent chance of victory.

Predicted Villa lineup: Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Gomes; McGinn, Manzambi, Buendia; Jackson. Predicted City lineup: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, O'Reilly; Anderson, Bouaddi, Fernandez; Foden, Haaland, Doku.