Manchester City travel to Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime with a chance to extend their perfect start in the Premier League under Enzo Maresca. They have won seven successive league games and sit three points clear at the top of the table. Their only competitive defeat since his arrival came against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
“The mood is good,” Maresca said. “We are happy with our start but we are still hungry for more wins.”
Erling Haaland is fit for the trip after starting on the bench in Wednesday’s Champions League victory over AEK Athens. Maresca is also waiting for updates on Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic and Nico O’Reilly, who all missed that match.
Another player to keep an eye on is Phil Foden, who Maresca says he wants to help recover his best form at the club. The midfielder has already responded well to Maresca’s arrival and support with four goals in his past two games.
Gearing up for the weekend 🔋 https://t.co/SKHQYye5SE
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 22, 2026
Foden, 26, has endured a difficult two years since winning the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year award in 2023-24, but his recent performances have offered encouragement that he can return to that level.
He will need to maintain his recent form to hold his place in a squad with strong competition for attacking positions. Rayan Cherki is among those competing for a starting role, and Maresca has described the Frenchman as “one of the best players in Europe”.
Maresca, who worked with Foden during his time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant, said he had spoken to the midfielder two or three times since taking charge, particularly in the early weeks of his tenure.
“Maybe love is not the right word to use but just to show him how important he is,” Maresca said.
“I said many times that I know Phil from years ago so I know how good he is. For different reasons the last few years he was not good enough, but again I think when you have more players like Phil available you are a better team because at the end it’s a matter of improving players.”
The City manager said he regarded the midfielder’s development as part of his responsibility at the club.
“If you improve the players you improve the team, so for me it’s my duty to try to help Phil to be again one of the best players in England. But it’s not just about one game – the season is very long,” he said.
