A perfect start could end here
Manchester City have won all seven of their Premier League matches this season. Aston Villa will try to put an end to that run when they welcome Enzo Maresca’s side to Villa Park on Saturday.
City have made the best start of any team in the division, with Maresca becoming the first manager to win his opening seven Premier League games in charge of a club. Another victory would take them to eight wins from eight and strengthen their position at the top of the table.
Villa, however, have reasons to believe they can cause an upset. Unai Emery’s side have won five of their last six matches across all competitions and are unbeaten in six, with their latest success coming against Viking in the Champions League on Wednesday.
A 3-1 victory secured Villa’s third win from three European matches. They had earlier beaten Newcastle United 1-0 in the Premier League, giving them a welcome lift after a difficult opening to the domestic campaign.
City have not been short of goals either. They beat Ipswich Town 3-2 last weekend to maintain their perfect league record, then thrashed AEK Athens 5-1 in Europe. Phil Foden scored a hat-trick in the latter match, a timely return to form for a player who had gone months without a goal.
Maresca will hope Foden can carry that confidence into the league, especially with Antoine Semenyo unavailable. Erling Haaland is also expected to return after missing the European match, having been rested because of a knock. The Norwegian has scored 12 goals in 10 appearances this season, making his availability a major boost for City.
Villa will need to be wary of City’s attack, but the recent head-to-head record offers encouragement. Emery’s team won both league meetings last season, including a 1-0 victory at Villa Park. They also beat City 2-1 at the Etihad on the final day of the campaign, in what was Pep Guardiola’s last match in charge.
City have not won at Villa Park since December 2021. Emery’s side will see that record as an opportunity, although they must first find a way to turn their recent improvement into a first home league win of the season.
Team News
Aston Villa will be without Amadou Onana, Matteo Ruggeri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka through injury. Johan Manzambi faces a late fitness test after missing the midweek European match, and Modou Keba Cisse is also a doubt. Emery will assess several players after the victory over Viking, so the final team selection may depend on their recovery.
For Manchester City, Antoine Semenyo is expected to miss the match after suffering a knee injury that could keep him out until December. Nico O’Reilly, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes all face late fitness tests. Haaland is available after sitting out the win over AEK Athens, and Foden will hope his midweek hat-trick earns him another start.
Sights set on Villa 👊😤
⏳ #AsahiSuperDry https://t.co/hpb13ncb4z
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 23, 2026
Predicted Lineups
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Mings; Kamara, Gomes; McGinn, Buendia, Alysson; Jackson.
Manchester City predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Bouaddi, Fernandez; Foden, Haaland, Doku.
Date: Saturday, 24 October 2026
Kick-off Time: 12.30pm BST / 7.30am ET
Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
Aston Villa vs Manchester City Match Prediction
Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester City
