Man City vs Aston Villa (Wednesday, 18:00)
Man City are moving ominously up the Premier League table and they can reach the summit of the standings with a victory against Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
The Citizens made a stuttering start to the season but Pep Guardiola's star-studded side have suddenly shored things up at the back and their newfound defensive solidity has fuelled a run of six clean sheets across their last seven matches.
City will be looking to keep the feelgood factor flowing this midweek when they face an Aston Villa outfit who were forced into cold storage for three weeks.
Villa's turnaround this season has been nothing short of remarkable but they face a daunting trip to the Etihad on the back of their enforced break.
Man City are unsurprisingly red-hot favourites here at a general 2/7, however, there is an alternative angle that has caught my eye in Bet 365's Bet Builder market.
If we combine each team to receive over zero cards we will be presented with a 4/5 punt and that price just looks a little bit too big to me.
Aston Villa are averaging two yellow cards per game in the Premier League this season and they have received at least one caution in 13/15 top-light tussles this term.
What's more, Villa are currently the most-fouled team in the Premier League and their talisman Jack Grealish tends to find himself on the receiving end of some rough treatment every time he takes to the turf – Grealish is the most-fouled player in the league this season.
With that in mind, I'll add at least one Man City card to the above-mentioned Bet Builder.
Indeed, City are averaging just 1.29 yellows per 90 minutes this season but forward-thinking Villa will carry a threat on the counter-attack and they have already demonstrated this season that they can hold their own against the heavyweights of the division.
Referee John Moss is averaging 2.70 yellow cards this season but he has booked both teams in 5/10 Premier League matches this season and I'm happy to side with a repeat on Wednesday night.
Recommended Bet
- Over 0 Man City Cards & Over 0 Aston Villa Cards – Bet Builder – 4/5 (Bet 365)
Freelance Sports Writer and Betting Analyst with over five years experience. I’ve written football and darts betting content for some of the biggest betting websites and newspapers in the UK. With a strong passion for the fascinating world of Scottish football, I also regularly feature in Nutmeg, the much-loved Scottish football magazine. Falkirk season ticket holder and avid watcher of football and darts, whether it be UK-based or further afield. Feel free to follow me on X @SlipsTips
