Aston Villa will entertain Manchester City at Villa Park this Saturday as they look to secure a good result at home in the Premier League. The Villans managed to earn an impressive 3-1 win over Viking recently, which should give them a lot of confidence going into this game.
Unai Emery will stick with his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make some changes to his first XI for this game. Ian Maatsen, Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara could all play from the start of this clash.
4-2-3-1 Aston Villa Predicted Lineup To Face Manchester City
Defence
Zion Suzuki will function in between the sticks for the Villans after conceding one goal in his last outing. Victor Lindelof will continue to play alongside Pau Torres at the centre of the Aston Villa backline as they look to keep the opposition at bay during the 90 minutes.
Matty Cash will try to prove his worth as the right-back, while Ian Maatsen fills in on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will have to pick and choose their moments to join in on the attack.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Tyrone Mings will offer cover for the defensive positions on the bench.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Emi Buendia of Aston Villa scores a penalty for his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between Aston Villa FC and Viking FK at Villa Park on October 21, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Midfield
Boubacar Kamara and Joao Gomes will anchor the midfield for the Villans as they focus on making life tough for the opposition at the centre of the park and engineering some decent chances in the final third.
The talented trio of Ibrahim Mbaye, Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn will operate just ahead of them as part of Emery’s attack. All three of them need to link up with each other well if the Villans are to cause some problems for the opposition defenders this Saturday.
Leon Goretzka and Alejandro Garnacho will have to be content with a spot on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the second 45 minutes if required.
Attack
Nicolas Jackson will spearhead Emery’s attack in the final third. He would be eager to get his name on the scoresheet after failing to do so against Viking earlier this week.
Tammy Abraham will be available for selection on the bench as he waits for his chance to shine in the final quarter of the game if required.