Aston Villa vs Manchester City
Things are shaking up in the Premier League, with teams moving up and down in what is a very tight league table. Arsenal remain unbothered atop the standings, while Liverpool, Manchester City, and Aston Villa are in a triple threat match for the second seed.
The Sky Blues conceded their spot in the table to Liverpool after tallying a 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, but they have a chance to start their short climb back to the top of the table with Aston Villa as their first hurdle.
It won’t be that easy for Pep and his boys, given that Aston Villa are steamrolling their way up the Premier League ladder. Backed by star forward Ollie Watkins, Villa have won three of their last five matches in the top flight, placing them a point shy of Manchester City.
Talking Points
Man City falling behind
Pep’s Sky Blues have been squeaky clean in the Champions League. They top Group G with a spotless 5-0 record and have already booked their ticket to the next round of the tournament. But their success against Europe’s top clubs isn’t translating that well into the English top flight.
City were dominating the Premier League in the first weeks of the season. It seemed like they were unequivocally the top club in England for the rest of the campaign, having the top seed up until Matchday 12.
But in the past few weeks, City came down to earth and showed signs of vulnerability, claiming just three points in their last three games. It certainly is a headscratcher to see City play well and within their standards but fail to get the win.
Manager Pep Guardiola, though, isn’t concerned with the club’s recent woes. “It’s not the first time we are in this situation where we are playing good but results don’t come.” Pep told the press.
Their recent draws against Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham cost them to drop even further down the league table, allowing Liverpool to overtake them in the second spot. This three-game stretch is City’s longest winless run in the Premier League for six years, but everyone knows that the treble winners can and inevitably will post favourable Premier League 2023 results and get back to their winning ways. The only question is when.
Villa’s renaissance
One of the most impressive storylines that has emerged this season in the Premier League is Aston Villa and their dominance at Villa Park.
Villa Park has now become an impenetrable fortress where Aston Villa fans can take refuge and comfort in knowing that their club has a convincing chance against any visiting team.
But home dominance aside, Villa are having a successful season in the Premier League and in the Europa Conference League. They are currently leading Group E in the Europa Conference League with 12 points, having won four of the first five matches.
In the Premier League, the Villans are currently in fourth place with 29 points, only a point behind Manchester City and two points behind Liverpool. It will surely be a sight to behold if they manage to sneak an upset against the Sky Blues and find themselves as the second seed in the English top flight.
Olli Watkins, the Super Villan
Watkins has been the tip of the spear for Aston Villa, and that’s an understatement. The 27-year-old forward is leading Villa in both scoring (8) and assists (5) in the Premier League. Watkins has been a household name for Aston Villa fans as he led the team in scoring since the 2020–21 campaign, where he finished with 14 goals.
His highest-scoring season with Villa was during the 2022–23 campaign, where he bagged 15 goals to his name, but this season, he has already scored eight goals after just 14 matches, already more than half of his best season with Villa so far.
Luckily for Villa fans, it seems like Watkins will be suiting up for their gigantic clash against Manchester City at Villa Park. Coming off a heroic effort against Bournemouth, Ollie will look to have yet another outstanding performance for his club.
History
Historically, Manchester City have dominated their head-to-heads against Aston Villa. In a total of 46 matches across multiple competitions, City have won 32, while Aston Villa only won seven.
In their most recent game, City convincingly won with a score line of 3-1 at Etihad Stadium.
The last time Aston Villa won against Manchester City in the Premier League was way back in September 2013. City have dominated Villa for the past 13 Premier League matchups that span more than a decade today.
But that doesn’t put the Sky Blues out of the woods just yet, given that the Villans have been on a renaissance season, winning nine of the first 14 games of the campaign.
Betting Tip
Despite Villa’s dominance at home and City’s recent form, the SBOTOP Premier League 2023 betting odds still have Manchester City as the favourites to win this match at 1.65. Personally, I find the lines for this match to be fair and priced rightfully. Despite the narratives these two clubs are currently facing, Manchester City are still Manchester City, and they ought to be the favourites against any team in the Premier League.
Aston Villa are priced at 4.08, while the draw price is 3.96. Given City’s current streak in the top flight, the draw price of 3.96 is something punters will surely consider. But the best line out of the bunch, in my opinion, is the Asian Handicap of City: -0.75 at 1.90. The Sky Blues are still the best offence in the Premier League; having scored the most goals in the top flight with 36 and having them slightly handicapped at 1.90 holds tremendous value for any type of punter to consider.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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