Aston Villa v Manchester City preview: can Emery's side end City's perfect run?
Unbeaten in Europe but 12th in the league, Aston Villa host Premier League leaders Manchester City, who have won all seven league games, in Saturday's early kick-off at Villa Park.
By MatchPulse Editorial Team
Fixture: Aston Villa v Manchester City, Premier League, matchweek 8. Kick-off: Saturday 24 October 2026, 12:30 BST, Villa Park, Birmingham.
Manchester City's perfect start to the Premier League season faces one of its stiffest tests on Saturday lunchtime. Unai Emery's Aston Villa have won all three of their Champions League matches and have beaten City in three of the last five meetings between the clubs.
Two very different starts
City lead the table with 21 points from seven matches. According to Goal, they are only the third team in Premier League history to win their first seven games of a season, scoring 19 goals and conceding seven. Their most recent league win was a 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town, and they beat AEK Athens 5-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Villa's league position tells a different story. They are 12th with eight points from two wins, two draws and three defeats, having scored seven goals and conceded 11. However, their form has improved: they won 1-0 at Newcastle in their last league match and beat Viking 3-1 on Wednesday to make it three wins from three in the Champions League. A win on Saturday would take them to 11 points.
Team news
Aston Villa:
- Out: Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
- Doubtful: Johan Manzambi. Previews also list Matteo Ruggeri as injured, with updates expected closer to kick-off.
Manchester City:
- Available: Erling Haaland. Enzo Maresca said on Thursday that the striker is "100% available" after he was an unused substitute against AEK Athens.
- Doubtful: Nico O'Reilly, Mateo Kovačić and Matheus Nunes, whose involvement depended on Thursday's training session.
- Out: Antoine Semenyo (knee).
Neither club has confirmed a starting line-up.
Head to head
Recent meetings have been close and favourable to Villa. They have won three of the last five against City, and three of the last four meetings were decided by a single goal. The most recent, in May 2026, ended in a 2-1 Villa win at the Etihad.
Key questions
Analysis: Villa's European form suggests the team is close to its best, and Emery will see this as a chance to turn that momentum into league points. With Maatsen and Wan-Bissaka both unavailable, Emery's options at full-back are limited, which matters against a City side that attacks in wide areas.
For City, the main questions are in midfield and defence. If O'Reilly, Kovačić and Nunes are not fit, Maresca's options will be limited, and Villa's record against City in recent seasons shows they can punish any weakness. Haaland's return to the starting line-up would give City their most reliable source of goals.
Also this weekend
Second-placed Arsenal, three points behind City, host Everton at 15:00 BST on Saturday, so City will know before Arsenal kick off whether the gap at the top has changed.
