English Premier League champ Manchester City will attempt to sustain their winning run on Saturday against an Aston Villa squad that has been struggling as of late after a torrid start in the season.
What's at Stake?
*Manchester City looks to continue piling up victories and keep them within striking distance of league leader Chelsea in the English Premier League leader board. Manuel Pellegrini's men have been shaky in their last three league outings, drawing against rivals Chelsea (1-1) and Arsenal (2-2) before salvaging a win against Hull City
*Aston Villa, on the other hand, went undefeated through the first four games. They even salvaged a 1-0 victory over traditional league power Liverpool to start their September campaign. However, things went awry in the succeeding games, as they succumbed to Chelsea and Arsenal both by three goals.
Entering Saturday's clash, Aston Villa clearly needs a good performance against the defending EPL champ to regain their confidence this season.
Injury Update
Manchester City - Stevan Jovetic could gain more minutes from Pelligrini after making his season debut in a 1-1 draw against Roma in their UEFA Championship League group match.
Aston Villa - Manager Paul Lambert Lambert vowed that he's going to give returning striker Christian Benteke the opportunity to play more minutes in the game against Manchester City. The Belgian international missed the World Cup after suffering a ruptured Achilles last April.
"I'll let him go when he's out there. He's deserved it. When he's out there he's got to go and do it. His injury was the most important thing that he's recovered from.
Predicted Lineup
Manchester City (4-4-2): Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala, Gael Clichy, Jesus Navas, Fernandinho, Yaya Touré, David Silva, Edin Dzeko, Sergio Agüero.
Aston Vila (4-5-1): Brad Guzan, Alan Hutton, Philippe Senderos, Nathan Baker, Aly Cissokho, Andreas Weimann, Tom Cleverly, Ashley Westwood, Fabian Delph, Kieran Richardson, Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Live Stream Information, Stats and Full Score of EPL Games
NBC Sports will televise the Man City vs. Aston Villa game starting at 12:30 noon EST. Premier League Pass / BeIn Sports and Sports Stream provide live streaming feed of the match. Stats, score and game commentary are available on ESPN FC, while full scoreboard for Saturday's EPL schedule can be found on ESPN English Premier League scores.
