First acid test for Steven Gerrard as PL coach

The reigning English champions closed the gap on the leaders last weekend and are now just one point behind the Blues. In the English week, however, an unpleasant away game in Birmingham awaits the Guardiola eleven. At Villa Park, home side Aston Villa and Manchester City face off.

Aston Villa made a coaching change during the recent international break and have been rewarded for their decision so far. Neo-coach Steven Gerrard has won his first two games as PL head coach and instilled new confidence in his side.

Nevertheless, the hosts are the clear underdogs on Wednesday night, with odds of up to a 9.00 offered for a home win in the Aston Villa v Manchester City clash. A win for the visitors, on the other hand, only attracts odds of 1.37.

For long-time Liverpool star Steven Gerrard, the home game against Manchester City will be the first major test of endurance. However, the two recent wins have taken a lot of pressure off Aston Villa and they can play accordingly free. The match kicks off on Wednesday evening at 9:15 p.m.

Aston Villa – Statistics & current form

13 of the last 14 duels against the reigning champions have been lost by Aston Villa in the English Premier League. The only exception was probably the biggest sensation last season. Also at their own stadium, Aston Villa then sent Jürgen Klopp and his Reds home with a 7:2 pack and caused one of the highest Liverpool defeats in recent years/decades.

Aston Villa prove they have staying power

After five defeats in a row, Dean Smith’s demotion was inevitable and the new impetus sorely needed. After all, Aston Villa had boosted their squad in the summer and raised their expectations accordingly. Steven Gerrard is now expected to fulfil them and has made an impression with his performances at Glasgow Rangers. He could not have imagined a better debut as a coach with the two wins against Brighton & Hove Albion (2-0) and Crystal Palace (2-1).

If the prediction of the Gerrard eleven’s next success at Aston Villa against Manchester City is correct, the former world-class player would become the first Aston Villa coach in history to start with three wins in the English top flight.

Once again, the Birmingham side proved in those two games that the conditioning aspect is an asset for Aston Villa. Against the Seagulls from Brighton, both goals were scored in the second half, and in the away win at Selhurst against Crystal Palace, there was also a goal in the closing stages. No fewer than 14 of Aston Villa’s 18 goals of the 2021/22 season have come in the second period. The Villans scored six goals in the last ten minutes of the game (including injury time) alone.

Only one win during the week 2020/21

English weeks are always on show in the Premier League. In 2019/20, the Villans still managed to win four of those nine games (from Tuesday to Thursday). Last season, midweek games were not necessarily popular with Aston Villa. Only one of their eight games in 2019/20 was won (2-1 against Tottenham in May).

Predicted Aston Villa line-up:
Martinez – Targett, Mings, Konsa, Cash – Nakamba – Young, Ramsey, McGinn, Bailey – Watkins

Last matches played by Aston Villa:

Premier League
11/27 2021 – Crystal Palace 1 – 2 Aston Villa

11/20 2021 – Aston Villa 2 – 0 Brighton

11/05 2021 – Southampton 1 – 0 Aston Villa

10/31 2021 – Aston Villa 1 – 4 West Ham

10/22 2021 – Arsenal London 3 – 1 Aston Villa

Manchester City – Statistics & current form

In last weekend’s top-of-the-table clash against West Ham, the Skyblues were the superior side for the entire duration of the game (19-5 shooting, 69-31 per cent possession) but still had to fight hard to secure their third league win in a row. In the end, Guardiola’s eleven managed a 2-1 victory, thanks to which the gap to the Tuchel eleven is now only one point.

15 Wednesday wins en suite in the Premier League

The prospects of a fourth successive league win on Wednesday night could hardly be better, with Manchester City having won no fewer than 15 Premier League games in a row on Wednesday night last time out. This is the third longest run in the Premier League by a team on a specific day. The record is held by Liverpool with 21 consecutive Saturday wins (between 2018 and 2020).

Also a clear argument in favour of predicting the favourites at Aston Villa against Manchester City is Guardiola’s record against English head coaches. Guardiola has lost only three of his 64 games in the English top flight against a local colleague. Steven Gerrard will be the 19th English coach Guardiola has played against in the Premier League.

Bearish defence – only seven goals conceded

In the 2-1 defeat to the Hammers, Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson was forced to make only his seventh save of the season. In the last ten years, only in 2018/19 had Manchester City conceded fewer goals (five) after 13 games.

The Skyblues’ defensive prowess is impressive and only three times this season has a bet on the ‘both to score’ been crowned with success. With the home side’s up-and-coming form and Gerrard’s fundamentally attacking style of play, betting on goals on both sides is still an option for Aston Villa v Manchester City.

Predicted Manchester City line-up:
Ederson – Cancelo, Laporte, Stones, Walker – Gündogan, Rodri, Silva – Sterling, Jesus, Mahrez

Last matches played by Manchester City:

Premier League
11/28 2021 – Manchester City 2 – 1 West Ham

Champions League Grp. A
11/24 2021 – Manchester City 2 – 1 Paris Saint-Germain

Premier League
11/21 2021 – Manchester City 3 – 0 Everton

11/06 2021 – Manchester United 0 – 2 Manchester City

Champions League Grp. A
11/03 2021 – Manchester City 4 – 1 Club Bruges

Aston Villa – Manchester City Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

The Skyblues from Manchester are truly a fearful opponent for Aston Villa. The team from Birmingham has lost twelve of the last 14 Premier League games against Manchester City (one win, one draw). The Villans conceded no less than 39 goals in these matches (an average of 2.8 goals conceded per game). The last win for the supposed underdogs was more than eight years ago, in September 2013, when Aston Villa won 3-2 at home.

Aston Villa – Manchester City Tip

Wednesday’s game against the reigning champions will be Steven Gerrard’s first major test at home. After the two recent victories, “Stevie G” is looking at a perfect debut and thus the home side can play completely free. The connection to the midfield has been re-established and the gaze can be directed upwards. If the tip on a point win (double chance 1X) is correct for Aston Villa against Manchester City, we can already speak of a success.

Guardiola’s team is also in impressive form this season and has an outstanding squad, especially across the board. The many English weeks have hardly affected the performances of the Skyblues and accordingly, the victory of the visitors is likely.

However, a prediction on goals from both teams is recommended in the match between Aston Villa and Manchester City. At first glance, this is a little surprising, as Manchester City have a very strong defence, but the home side have scored at least one goal in every home game so far.