Manchester City vs Aston Villa Preview

Sunday’s curtain-raiser at the Etihad Stadium carries genuine weight for both sides, albeit for very different reasons. Manchester City have spent the season chasing Arsenal’s pace at the top and ultimately come up short — the title is heading to the Emirates regardless of what happens today. But runners-up spot is confirmed, and City have the chance to finish on 81 points and sign off with a statement victory in front of their own supporters.

For Aston Villa, the stakes are considerably sharper. They arrive in Manchester sitting fourth on 62 points, but that position is not yet secure. Liverpool, fifth on 59, are playing simultaneously on the final day — a Liverpool win combined with a Villa defeat would see both clubs level on 62 points, with Liverpool’s goal difference of +10 edging Villa’s +6 and pushing the Midlands side down to fifth. A win or a draw guarantees Villa fourth; anything less hands their fate to results elsewhere. Fourth place and everything it represents for next season makes this a must-not-lose occasion.

City’s form over the past five matches has been encouraging without being emphatic. Their most recent outing produced a 1-1 draw away at Bournemouth. Prior to that, they won 1-0 away at Chelsea in the FA Cup. Before that, a comfortable 3-0 home win over Crystal Palace. Earlier in this run, another 3-0 at the Etihad, this time against Brentford. The sequence opened with a 3-3 draw away at Everton. Three wins from five, conceding only in the two away draws, reflects a side that remains capable of hurting opponents but has not been at their most ruthless in recent weeks.

Villa’s form has been considerably more convincing. Their most recent outing was an impressive 3-0 win against SC Freiburg in the Europa League final. Prior to that, they put four goals past Liverpool at Villa Park in a 4-2 home win. Before that, a 2-2 draw away at Burnley. Earlier in this run, a dominant 4-0 home win over Nottingham Forest in Europe. The sequence opened with a 1-2 home defeat to Tottenham — the one blemish on an otherwise strong run. Three wins from four, with that emphatic Europa League showing most recently, suggests Villa arrive at the Etihad in confident form.

The season statistics reinforce City’s overall quality. They have scored 76 goals in 37 matches and carry a goal difference of +43 — level with Arsenal. Villa have scored 54 and conceded 48, a goal difference of +6 that reflects a solid but less dominant campaign. City’s firepower at the Etihad has been a consistent threat all season, and Haaland leading the line remains a significant concern for any visiting defence.

The head-to-head record favours Aston Villa, who have won three of the last five meetings, with no draws and two wins for City. Most recently, Villa won 1-0 at home in October 2025. In the previous encounter, City won 2-1 at home in April 2025.

In the UK and Ireland, the match is live on Sky Sports Action. In the United States, the game is available on Peacock. Australian viewers can watch on Stan Sport, while fans in India can follow on JioHotstar.

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Lineups & Injuries

Manchester City (4-2-3-1) Donnarumma, Nunes, Khusanov, Silva, O’Reilly, Guehi, Rodri, Semenyo, Cherki, Doku, Haaland

Manchester City: No missing players reported.

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1) Martínez, Maatsen, Lindelöf, Konsa, Cash, Luiz, Torres, Buendía, Barkley, McGinn, Watkins

Aston Villa: Kamara (Out), Martínez (Doubtful)

Villa carry the more significant injury concerns heading into this fixture. The loss of Kamara removes a key presence in midfield, and a question mark over goalkeeper Martínez adds uncertainty to the most critical position on the pitch. City report no missing players and name a full-strength lineup, giving them a notable advantage in terms of preparation and selection depth.

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Manchester City — Last 5 Games

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
🤝	AFC Bournemouth	1-1	Manchester City	English Premier League	May 19, 2026
✅	Chelsea	0-1	Manchester City	English FA Cup	May 16, 2026
✅	Manchester City	3-0	Crystal Palace	English Premier League	May 13, 2026
✅	Manchester City	3-0	Brentford	English Premier League	May 9, 2026
🤝	Everton	3-3	Manchester City	English Premier League	May 4, 2026

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Aston Villa — Last 5 Games

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	SC Freiburg	0-3	Aston Villa	Europa League	May 20, 2026
✅	Aston Villa	4-2	Liverpool	English Premier League	May 15, 2026
🤝	Burnley	2-2	Aston Villa	English Premier League	May 10, 2026
✅	Aston Villa	4-0	Nottingham Forest	Europa League	May 7, 2026
❌	Aston Villa	1-2	Tottenham Hotspur	English Premier League	May 3, 2026

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Head to Head — Last 5 Meetings

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Aston Villa	1-0	Manchester City	English Premier League	Oct 26, 2025
Manchester City	2-1	Aston Villa	English Premier League	Apr 22, 2025
Aston Villa	2-1	Manchester City	English Premier League	Dec 21, 2024
Manchester City	4-1	Aston Villa	English Premier League	Apr 3, 2024
Aston Villa	1-0	Manchester City	English Premier League	Dec 6, 2023

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TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Great Britain	Sky Sports Action
Ireland	Sky Sports Action
USA	Peacock
Canada	DAZN Canada
Australia	Stan Sport
India	JioHotstar
France	Canal+ Sport360
Netherlands	Viaplay Netherlands
Spain	DAZN Spain
Italy	Sky Sport 252

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Premier League Table 2025-26

Pos	Club	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Arsenal	37	25	7	5	69	26	43	82
2	Man City	37	23	9	5	76	33	43	78
3	Man United	37	19	11	7	66	50	16	68
4	Aston Villa	37	18	8	11	54	48	6	62
5	Liverpool	37	17	8	12	62	52	10	59
6	Bournemouth	37	13	17	7	57	53	4	56
7	Brighton	37	14	11	12	52	43	9	53
8	Chelsea	37	14	10	13	57	50	7	52
9	Brentford	37	14	10	13	54	51	3	52
10	Sunderland	37	13	12	12	40	47	-7	51
11	Newcastle	37	14	7	16	53	53	0	49
12	Everton	37	13	10	14	47	49	-2	49
13	Fulham	37	14	7	16	45	51	-6	49
14	Leeds	37	11	14	12	49	53	-4	47
15	Palace	37	11	12	14	40	49	-9	45
16	Nottm Forest	37	11	10	16	47	50	-3	43
17	Spurs	37	9	11	17	47	57	-10	38
18	West Ham	37	9	9	19	43	65	-22	36
19	Burnley	37	4	9	24	37	74	-37	21
20	Wolves	37	3	10	24	26	67	-41	19