Manchester City vs. Aston Villa Prediction: Top-five Rivals Clash

• Manchester City beat Everton 2-0 at the weekend to boost their top-five chances

• Aston Villa were 4-1 victors over Newcastle United in their most recent encounter

• Both teams are targeting Champions League qualification this season

Manchester City vs. Aston Villa Odds

The odds for Manchester City vs. Aston Villa are provided by the bet365 Sportsbook, which offers Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose

Manchester City vs. Aston Villa Pick

Go for a draw in this one. It is hard to pick a winner and a point apiece would be an acceptable outcome for both Manchester City and Aston Villa.

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Manchester City Spring Back to Life - But for How Long?

On Tuesday Manchester City will be chasing a third consecutive Premier League victory for the first time since October. That fact alone shows how far Pep Guardiola’s team have fallen from their peak, but a degree of optimism has begun to creep back in at the Etihad Stadium of late.

Of course, that positive feeling could soon be undone by a Premier League ruling. City have been hit with 115 charges related to alleged breaches of the league’s financial rules. If the club is found guilty, it is likely to be hit with a massive points deduction. Whether the penalty would apply to this or next season’s tally has not been made clear.

For now, though, City must try and put their legal issues to one side. On the pitch at least, this could still be a good season for Guardiola’s men, who are favorites to win the FA Cup and well positioned to qualify for the Champions League, for which a top-five finish is required.

City have shown signs of improvement of late. They thrashed Crystal Palace 5-2 the weekend before last despite going 2-0 down. On Saturday they beat Everton 2-0, as goals from Nico O’Reilly and Mateo Kovacic in the closing stages gave them a win in their last ever game at Goodison Park. There is still work to do, though, with City just one point clear of sixth.

“I've tried to convince the players that qualifying for the Champions League is a huge achievement in this country and in this league,” Guardiola said after the Everton victory. “Being in the Champions League is enough; thinking that is not enough for us would be arrogant.”

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Aston Villa Do Not Want Champions League to Be a One-off

Despite their valiant attempts at a comeback in the second leg, Aston Villa were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain last week. However, they did not dwell on that disappointment. Unai Emery’s charges produced one of their best performances of the season in a 4-1 demolition of Newcastle United on Saturday.

Newcastle had been in fine form before their visit to Villa Park, which made the home team’s display even more impressive. It was their fifth victory on the bounce in the league, with Villa hitting form at just the right time. Emery was delighted with his side’s reaction to the PSG disappointment.

“I’m very happy,” he said. “How we responded today was really fantastic after the match we played on Tuesday. How we are reacting and responding, coming back to the Premier League and being focused 100 percent because it’s through it that we can get our objective again to be in Europe and hopefully in the Champions League.”

Villa’s run to the last eight of Europe’s premier competition this term has given the club a taste of the event. They do not want their participation to be a one-off, especially now they have demonstrated they are not out of place at that level.

Villa have closed the gap to the top five in recent weeks and they are now outside it on goal difference alone. A win at the Etihad would further boost their momentum, but Emery and his players know that this will be a major test of their credentials.

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Who Will Come Out on Top at the Etihad? Perhaps No One

The Etihad has not been a happy hunting ground for Aston Villa, who have lost each of their last 14 league games there. That run dates all the way back to 2007, before Manchester City had even been bought by their current Abu Dhabi-based owners. 

Will things be different this time? Villa certainly have a chance to emerge triumphant. It is true that City have picked up of late, but there have been numerous false dawns before. Guardiola’s team can still be exposed defensively, as Crystal Palace showed in the opening half an hour of their recent meeting with the champions.

Yet Villa remain a much stronger force on familiar soil than they do on their travels. They rank third in the home table but ninth in the away equivalent. That will give City confidence, as will their aforementioned record in this fixture. Their attack has been lively recently too, with the exception of that uneventful 0-0 draw in the Manchester derby.

These two teams are separated by a solitary point in the Premier League table; no wonder, then, that it is hard to choose between them. There is often value in betting the draw in soccer betting and this occasion looks like one of those.

Neither Guardiola nor Emery would be overly disappointed with a point against a top-five rival. We expect the score to finish level when City host Villa in midweek.

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How to Watch Manchester City vs. Aston Villa

• Teams: Manchester City vs. Aston Villa

• Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England

• Date and Time: Tuesday, 22 April 2025, 15:00 ET 

• How to Watch: USA Network