"Villa have beaten City in this fixture in each of the past three years under Unai Emery. They will fancy it this time too - they are seven unbeaten in all competitions, and flying at the moment," Chris Sutton said in his BBC Sport predictions column. He also pointed out that Manchester City have won their first seven Premier League games of the season.
Villa's home record in this fixture
Sutton's case starts with the ground itself. Aston Villa have beaten Manchester City in this fixture in each of the past three years under Emery, which is exactly the sort of pattern that makes a home side hard to dismiss when a title contender comes to town.
The form on both sides is real enough too. Villa are seven unbeaten in all competitions, while City have scored 19 goals and conceded 7 in their seven league matches. City arrive with a perfect Premier League start, but Sutton's read is that Villa Park has already shown it can unsettle them.
Sutton's read on City's visit
Sutton did not frame this as a wild upset pick. He said Villa have hit a bit of form and seem to be getting back to the level they were at last season, and he added that City are going to slip up eventually this season.
The more immediate point is the venue. City have lost on their past three visits to Villa Park, and Sutton thinks that run is the reason this match is different from a routine away day for Pep Guardiola's side. Erling Haaland is fit too, which Sutton said will obviously help City.
Villa do not need to dominate possession to make this awkward. They only need to carry the confidence that comes from three straight home wins in the fixture and a seven-match unbeaten run across all competitions. City still look strong, but this is the kind of away game that asks a harder question than most.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
