IT has been a traumatic week for Manchester City and it will be fascinating to see how the players respond to all the turmoil when Aston Villa come calling in the Premier League.
Just a day after City's title defence suffered a blow with defeat at Tottenham, news that the club were facing stiff sanctions for breaking Premier League financial rules sent shockwaves across the game.
That saga looks set to rumble on in the court for years but it will only add to a sense of growing unease at the Etihad as the season threatens to unravel for Pep Guardiola's side.
With star full-back Joao Cancelo banished to Bayern Munich on loan after falling out with Guardiola, the City gaffer then made the strange decision to start Kevin De Bruyne on the bench against Spurs.
Erling Haaland's incredible goal return has masked some poor performances from the champions so Aston Villa will fancy their chances when they come the Etihad.
But inconsistency remains a problem for Villa, even though performances and results have picked up since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard. After beating Leeds and Southampton, Emery's side crashed 4-2 at home to Leicester last weekend, frustrating our man Gabriel after he tipped them to win.
How the bookies view it
The bookies are expecting Man City to banish the storm clouds as they are just 27/100 with BetUK for the win. Aston Villa are as big as 12/1 with SBK while the draw pays 23/4 at BetUK.
Recent head to head
It ended in a 1-1 draw when these sides faced off in the Midlands earlier this season but Manchester City had dominated this fixture before that, winning nine in a row. Aston Villa haven't beaten them since a 3-2 victory way back in 2013.
Players to watch
Guardiola will be looking for Haaland to lift the gloom and the Norwegian seems to be the only forward guaranteed a start at the moment. Haaland is just 3/4 at Unibet for a goal but backing him to score with a header boosts the odds to 7/2 at McBookie.
Our man Gabriel cashed in by backing Ollie Watkins for a goal last weekend and the in-form striker looks Villa's best bet for shocking City. He's 21/4 with Unibet for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
I was torn on whether to bet on a thriller with Man City last weekend and was glad I eventually erred on the side of caution by betting against BTTS. We should see more action in this one though with Aston Villa having scored in their last 10 matches. Both teams to score is 59/50 with Unibet but over 2.5 goals pays just 11/20 with the same firm.
Manchester City have dominated the corner count in recent clashes with Villa, winning 28-6 across the last three meetings. That makes City -5 worth a look in the corner handicap here at 5/4 with Bet365 while the same firm price over 7.5 home corners at 11/10.
I love a stats bet and the 27/25 on offer at Unibet for Jack Grealish just to have a shot on target against his old club looks good value, provided the winger starts.
This English Premier League match between Manchester City and Aston Villa will be played on Feb 12, 2023 and kick off at 16:30. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Aston Villa prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
