Manchester City v Aston Villa Betting Tips [3 April 2024]

Another game that could have a bearing on the Premier League top four is in the offing as Manchester City hosts Aston Villa. These two face off on Wednesday with City third and Aston Villa fourth in the standings. City had their title defence checked in their last two league matches as they dropped four points. They go into this game on 64 points, three behind league leaders Liverpool. That comes after a 0-0 draw with Arsenal in their last game on Sunday, and an earlier 1-1 draw with Liverpool. In between the draws, City got themselves to the FA Cup semis with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United. Fatigue is clearly checking in, and a growing injury list hasn’t helped City. This is clearly depicted in the diminishing number of goals they’ve been scoring lately. The champions managed more than a goal in just one of their last six league matches – a 3-1 win over Manchester United. As a result of this scoring form, six of their last seven league matches have ended in under 2.5 goals.

For the first time this season, City failed to score in a home game when they welcomed Arsenal in their last game. Aston Villa, who come here as underdogs, may want to borrow Arsenal’s tactics to stop the champions. While at it, they need a win to keep their top four hopes alive. As it is, they are at a disadvantage, having played a game more than fifth placed Tottenham Hotspur. Unai Emery’s side is three points ahead of Spurs in the top four race and will want to at the least, avoid defeat at City. They did well in beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 in the last game, keeping their hopes alive. That was their third unbeaten game since falling 4-0 at home to Spurs. With three clean sheets in their last five matches, Villa would feel they can withstand City’s attack. Aston Villa are among the three teams to have beaten City in the league this season. They won the reverse fixture 1-0 and here they will be seeking to complete a double over the champions.

Aston Villa aren’t known for their defensive prowess, but a defensive approach is what could work here. A number of teams have employed it successfully against City and we expect Villa to take the script. Manchester City haven't been scoring a lot of goals lately either. In three of their last four home league games, they didn’t manage more than a goal. Our prediction for Manchester City v Aston Villa is for this game to produce under 2.5 goals.