Manchester City go into Saturday's trip to Aston Villa with the clearest availability news of the two sides. Erling Haaland is the only player Enzo Maresca says is 100 per cent available, while Villa are already dealing with at least three confirmed absences and two late fitness calls.
City's cleanest team news
Maresca said Haaland is "the only one 100 per cent available" and added that the rest of the squad still has to come through a session later in the day. "We have a session this afternoon. They can be all available or not. Yesterday they were all improving, and we'll see this afternoon," he said, with the final picture still open.
The striker has already scored 8 Premier League goals in 7 appearances this season, which is why City will want the decision settled quickly. City have 21 points from seven league matches and sit top of the Premier League, so a fully fit Haaland remains the obvious attacking edge.
Villa's injury list before Saturday
Villa will be without Amadou Onana, Matteo Ruggeri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, all sidelined with injuries. Johan Manzambi and Modou Kéba Cissé are late calls because of a muscle issue and a groin problem.
That leaves Villa trying to manage a tricky fixture with limited cover in several areas. They have picked up 8 Premier League points and sit 12th, but the last three league matches brought 7 of those points and Wednesday's 3-1 win over Viking FK kept their 100% record in the League Phase of the Champions League intact. The league game at the Aston Villa vs Manchester City fixture now asks for a different level of depth.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
