Following Saturday’s tumultuous affair at Old Trafford, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini will no doubt be hoping his side can wrestle top spot in the Premier League back from their Manchester rivals with an away victory over Aston Villa.
Following Saturdays tumultuous affair at Old Trafford, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini will no doubt be hoping his side can wrestle top spot in the Premier League back from their Manchester rivals with an away victory over Aston Villa. With City lying one point behind leaders Manchester United, Mancinis men have the chance to restore a two point cushion at the top of the division against an Aston Villa side that has struggled for form all season. Alex McLeishs sides league position is far from impressive given the club were pushing for European places just a couple of seasons ago. The good news for the home team is that there is a seven point buffer between themselves and the relegation zone and their fans will be looking to move up the table rather than down it. An unlikely victory today would see them climb as high as 11th place. That will be a tough ask though against a City side with their sights set on a maiden Premier League title and containing the likes of David Silva, Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero. While their team doesnt boast quite the multimillion pound array of attacking talent as their opponents, Villas squad still poses a threat going forward though and the likes of Darren Bent along with on-loan and in-form striker Robbie Keane should not be underestimated.
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Villa could be boosted by the return of three key players from injury. Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor (back and hamstring), midfielder Marc Albrighton (thigh) and defender James Collins (calf) have shaken off their injuries and are in contention to play a part for the home side. Midfielder Chris Herd, on the other hand, remains a long term absentee. Man City should welcome back skipper Vincent Kompany after he recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of last weeks match against Fulham. Samir Nasri (groin) looks set to return after being forced off during his sides 3-0 victory last week. Mario Balotelli completes the final game of his four match suspension, while Yaya and Kolo Toure are both still on international duty as Ivory Coast reached the final of the African Cup of Nations.