Aston Villa vs Man City: Team news, predicted XI, how to watch, kick-off time & referee

Aston Villa host Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend, with the two sides experiencing contrasting starts to the new season.

Steven Gerrard’s side have picked up just three points from the opening five games and have suffered three consecutive losses in the league.

Meanwhile, City have started this campaign exactly where they ended the last, and have accumulated 13 of a possible 15 points in the early weeks of 2021/22.

Erling Haaland has been the star of the show so far and has actually netted more than double the amount of league goals Villa have scored this season.

The Norwegian got a hat-trick on Wednesday as the champions swatted aside Nottingham Forest with a 6-0 victory, in a game where Julian Alvarez netted a brace and Joao Cancelo was also on the scoresheet.

There’s every chance of a big win for Pep Guardiola, who has won all seven of his meetings with the Villans, while City have won 12 of the last 13 encounters.

Here’s all the information ahead of the game.

When is Villa vs Man City?

The match takes place on Saturday 3 September 2022 and kicks off at 5:30pm.

Is Villa vs Man City on TV?

In the UK, the game will be shown live on Sky Sports. More TV information can be found here.

Who is referee for Villa vs Man City?

Simon Hooper will be the man in the middle for Saturday’s game, with Adrian Holmes, Dan Robathan and Peter Bankes assisting him. Mike Dean and Lee Betts will be on VAR duty from Stockley Park.

Team news & predicted XIs

City are in the midst of a gruelling 18-day period that sees them play six games, so rotation could be an option for Guardiola this weekend.

Kevin De Bruyne didn’t start in the win over Forest and is likely to return, while Rodri, Cancelo, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and John Stones were withdrawn during the game.

They’re all likely to start at Villa Park, although Kyle Walker could be in line for a rest after a busy start to the new season.

Alvarez might keep his starting spot after impressing on Wednesday, while deadline-day signing Manuel Akanji may be in line to make his City debut.

Ex-Villa captain Jack Grealish is likely to miss a return to his old stomping ground due to injury, with Nathan Ake and Kalvin Phillips also doubts. Aymeric Laporte is definitely out as he recovers from knee surgery.

As for Villa, Jan Bednarek and Leandro Dendoncker arrived on the final day of the window, while Douglas Luiz remained despite reported interest from Arsenal.

The latter, along with Philippe Coutinho and Danny Ings, dropped to the bench for the midweek loss to the Gunners, but could return to the team on Saturday.

Manchester City predicted XI: Ederson; Cancelo, Stones, Dias, Gomez; Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Haaland, Foden.

Aston Villa predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Luiz, McGinn; Buendia, Watkins, Coutinho.