Who: Aston Villa vs Manchester City
What: English Premier League
Location: Villa Park, Birmingham, United Kingdom
When: 12:30pm (12:30 GMT) Saturday
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Manchester City will not try to solve their playing problem with new players in January, according to manager Pep Guardiola.
Four-time Premier League champions City have lost eight and won their last 11 games in all competitions.
Last season's surprise package Aston Villa now await at Villa Park on Saturday despite both clubs' underperformance this season. Guardiola said he would not be looking to rebuild his squad in the January transfer window when asked if the current squad could change things.
“I don't know. This will be at the end of the season. At the end of the season, we will see how things are,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday. “What I want is to get my players back (from injury). I feel this team is very good. It's not that they are good or bad players.
“We lost two important figures for a while. We want the players back, then what happens in the winter and what happens at the end of the season, the club and I will decide what is best for the team.”
City's difficult season suffered another setback this week with confirmation that defender Ruben Dias will be out for four weeks with a hamstring injury.
Guardiola has cited injuries to key players such as Rodri as the cause of his team's problems, and the loss of Dias adds to his problems with the City manager and adds to Dias' injuries during this period. Sunday lost 2-1 to Manchester United.
“After 75 minutes against United, he felt something. He is strong and wants to stay on the pitch, but now he is injured,” said Guardiola.
City's worrying run of form has gone from five successive defeats to one win and three defeats in six, continuing Manchester United's turnaround in the derby win at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola, who signed a two-year contract in Novemberadmits that running it has been hard to live witheven for a supervisor of his age.
“I just finished a game where we were close to winning and we lost.” For the results that happened, I was not happy, “said the Spaniard. “I tried to speak for myself here, in the last six or seven days. If you fall down six times, you must stand up seven times.
“I'm fine. I'm a normal person with feelings like the rest of us. When things go well, we're good, and if things don't go well technically, we're (focusing) on what we have to do.”
Villa finished fourth in the league last season to qualify for the Champions League. This campaign has been a tough one for Unai Emery's side.
The Villains are seventh in the table but a win on Saturday would see them move above City in fifth and could take fourth place if they win by three clear goals.
The place would have been available in their last game on Monday but for defeat to Nottingham Forest, who took the fourth prize of the Champions League.
It came on the back of a three-game winning streak that saw Villa start to rebuild their form last season, and Emery remains in good spirits despite the huge task of dealing with injured professionals.
“Of course, it's a very difficult game and an exciting game for us,” said the former Arsenal manager. “The motivation, playing Manchester City at home to our supporters, will be good.
“We will face everything with our support at Villa Park. My assessment is still ongoing. We are in the league trying to do better and accepting everything we are doing, trying to improve all the time.
“(City) is a great test, and another competition, the Champions League, is coming up, the FA Cup. All I'm thinking about now is just thinking about this game.”
Who are the top scorers in Matchweek 16? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/EUJZMZfpLm
– Premier League (@premierleague) December 17, 2024
Aston Villa team news
Tyrone Mings and Leon Bailey are both in the squad to face City. Jacob Ramsey “is progressing but not ready to be available”, according to Emery.
Man City team news
Dias has joined City's injured list with a nerve problem. Midfielder Rodri remains a long-term absentee while striker Ederson is also a doubt.
John Stones, Mateo Kovacic and Manuel Akanji could all return while Rico Lewis returns from suspension.
Head to head
This is the 182nd meeting between the clubs with City winning 81 meetings and Villa taking the spoils 58 times.
City won the last meeting 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium in April, but Villa was 1-0 winners in the same match at Villa Park in December last year when Leon Bailey scored the only goal with 16 minutes to play.
Villa had not won in 15 meetings with City prior to that – while the Cityzens had won 13.