(Football news) After 14 games, Manchester City in third position are just ahead of the Lions in fourth, with just one point separating these two teams in the top tier standings. After twice coming back from behind to earn a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium last weekend, Aston Villa’s four-game winning streak in all competitions came to an end.
Bournemouth took the lead shortly after halftime after Bailey cancelled out Semenyo’s early goal. However, Villa’s star player Watkins saved the day with his 90th-minute equalizer, his third league goal in as many games and his eighth in the top flight this season, ensuring that Emery’s team left the South Coast with a point.
Villa is still in the Champions League spots despite the tie, but if they lose their next games on Thursday—against Manchester City on Wednesday—they might drop to sixth place in the standings. Tottenham Hotspur is in fourth place, while Newcastle United is in fifth.
Following two straight away league games, the Lions will be happy to return to Villa Park, where they have won 17 of their last 18 home games in all competitions, with the only blemish on their record being a 2-1 loss to Everton in the EFL Cup in September.
Excitement is understandably high in the Villa camp, but going into Wednesday’s match, their record against Manchester City is unimpressive. Villa has only won once in their last 12 Wednesday top flight games, and they have lost all 13 of their Premier League encounters with the Citizens since a 3-2 victory at home in September 2013.
Manchester City has completed a three-game winless streak in the Premier League for the first time since 2017. The club led in three games against Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur, but they ended up drawing each time.
Last weekend, the Citizens had to settle for a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Spurs at home after Dejan Kulusevski equalized in the 90th minute. The game ended controversially when referee Simon Hooper blew his whistle for a foul on Erling Haaland, which infuriated the home crowd by preventing Jack Grealish from running through on goal in stoppage time.
Nevertheless, Pep Guardiola’s team’s defensive shortcomings have cost them dearly as they are currently three points behind league leaders Arsenal. In their last four games overall, they have given up 10 goals, and in their 21 competitive games this season, they have only kept five clean sheets.
