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City are back at home this weekend in the 5:30 pm kick-off, aiming to continue their excellent run of form to start their Premier League campaign, up against a Villa side which is vastly different to the one which ended the 25/26 season. After two tough losses to start their 26/27 season, Villa will be hoping to bounce back and get at least a point on the board after suffering an opening-day hammering against Brighton and falling to a narrow defeat against the title holders (Arsenal) in their second, still yet to get on the scoresheet across 180+ minutes. Opponent Observations The Villains have suffered quite a heavy reset over the summer, with a large portion of their starting squad, which was so successful last season, finishing 4th and not only getting to the Final of the Europa League, but winning it all against Freiburg and qualifying for the Champions League this season. Their outgoing transfers consist of Youri Tielemans, who made the move to Premier League rivals Manchester United for a sum in the region of £35 million, Lucas Digne who moved back to PSG after 6 years in claret and blue, Morgan Rogers who was a key part of why Villa were so successful last season, becoming the most expensive English player in history when he moved to Chelsea for £117 million. The exodus didn’t stop there, as experienced centre half Ezri Konsa made the move to Premier League Champions Arsenal for just over £50 million, losing Emi Martinez to Chelsea for a minimal fee and most recently with their 20-goal talisman Ollie Watkins moving to Saudi Arabia, leaving the Villains with a lot of work to do to integrate their new signings and get their squad playing at the same level they were just 12 months ago. Head-to-Head Courtesy of FotMob, in the last seven meetings between both sides since 2013, City have won just once, Villa have won 3 times and the remaining 4 ended level. The most recent meeting was back in 2019 in the Championship, which ended 2-2, a season where City fizzled out in mid-table, and Villa finished in the play-offs, eventually going on to beat Derby in the final. Fun fact: Aston Villa are the only the second ever team since 2003-04 to register ZERO shots on target in their first two PL opening games. (I’m not trying to jinx anything, I swear) Key Players Leon Goretzka (Left) A smart signing in the summer window, Goretzka made the permanent switch from Bayern Munich after 8 seasons, winning 7 Bundesliga titles, 3 DFB Pokals, 4 German Super Cups, and 1 Champions League title. The vastly experienced German international will likely come in to fill the hole left by Tielemans after his summer transfer, not only helping defensively, but with the ability to contribute going forward too, scoring 6 goals and getting 4 assists last season from central midfield. Nicolas Jackson (Middle) A massively underrated signing in my opinion, Villa brought the Senegalese forward in on a permanent deal from Chelsea after spending what ended up being a successful loan spell in Bavaria. Jackson is a quality striker and will have the opportunity to thrive once again under Emery, who helped him enjoy his breakout season at Villarreal, which got him his move to Chelsea in the first place. Scoring 13, 17, 13 and 11 goals in his last 4 seasons, he will no doubt be given the starting berth up top, especially with Ollie Watkins departing. Emiliano Buendia (Right) Buendia has been a constant in Villa’s first team since joining from Norwich City in 21/22. It took a while for the Argentinian to perform to the level he did in his final season for the Canaries. After spending a season out on loan, he enjoyed his most impactful season to date, scoring 11 goals and providing 9 assists, more importantly playing 54 times across all competitions, helping the Villains lift their first European trophy in nearly 50 years. Their Last Few Aston Villa 0 - 1 Arsenal - (Premier League) Brighton 4 - 0 Aston Villa - (Premier League) Borussia M’gladbach 2 - 1 Aston Villa - (Pre-Season) PSG 2 - 1 Aston Villa - (UEFA Super Cup) Bayern Munich 2 - 1 Aston Villa - (Pre-season) Predictions My predictions for the starting lineup to take on the Villains are as follows… (No graphic this week :( as City haven’t released the squad numbers for the new signings yet!) Goalkeeper: Konstantinos Tzolakis Left Back: Ryan Giles Centre Back: Nobel Mendy Centre Back: John Egan Centre Back: Semi Ajayi Right Back: Lewie Coyle Defensive Midfield: Tim Iroegbunam Defensive Midfield: Regan Slater Left Wing: Sorba Thomas Striker: Oli McBurnie Right Wing: Mohamed Belloumi Scoreline I think it’s going to be a tough game against a Villa side yet to find their rhythm, even though they have lost a lot of key players, some of their incomings have been very astute pieces of business. It’s obviously not out of the realm of possibility that City end up going 3 from 3, but I think this one might end level, which is by no means a bad result considering Villa’s achievements last season. My prediction is a 1-1 draw. Final Thoughts… City can absolutely make the most of their good run here, against a struggling Villa side, as I’ve previously mentioned, but what I’ll be looking forward to the most is seeing some of the new signings in action! It’ll be good to see how they fit in and how they might impact City in a positive way. As always, Up the Tigers!!!