Aston Villa

Manchester City-Aston Villa

Man City meet Villa at the Etihad.

The season comes to a close. A league leading Man City side welcome 14th place Villa to the Etihad for one last match. City should take to their home turf with confidence, as they defeated the Villans 2-1 in their last league meeting. A deeper look through the history of this matchup also benefits Man City. City have secured at least a point in thirty-six of the last forty-three Premier League meetings between the sides.

Man City | DWWWW | 1st | Top Scorer: K. De Bruyne (15)

Man City arrive with confidence, unbeaten in the last 11 games. Goal chances have been frequent, their last 5 matches average xG (expected goals) of 3 has been highest in the league over that span. João Cancelo will be front and center in their attempt to prolong success. He has been their top shot-taker this year with 77 shots (13th in the EPL). Gabriel Jesus will be leaned on for opportunity creation. He has been their top setup man this season with 8 assists (8th in the EPL).

Villa | DDLWW | 14th | Top Scorer: O. Watkins (11)

Villa are a side feeling down rather than up. They haven't been able to secure a win in any of their last 3 matches. Scoring has proved more difficult than they would hope, their average xG (expected goals) of 1.2 is the 8th lowest in the league. Top distributor John McGinn will be looking to improve after recording 1.6 passes into the box per match in their last 5. There are reasons to believe though, key goal scorer Ollie Watkins has been on an exciting roll with 3 goals in their last 5 matches.

Man City-Villa Prediction: 2-1

This one could go either way, but the firepower of Man City looks likely to be the difference.

Can City keep their point streak going? Will the Villans secure a sought after victory? If you like the look of our prediction, you can bet on that, and much more, at PokerStars Sports.

Man City crowned Premier League champions.

Matty Cash opened the score for Villa in the 37th minute following some good work by Lucas Digne. Philippe Coutinho doubled the lead in the second half but Man City responded with a scoring barrage, netting 3 goals over the rest of the match to complete a remarkable comeback.

The Overview

• City saw a lot of the ball with 74% possession and created plenty of chances too, racking up 24 shots.
• The lack of attacking threat proved the Villans' downfall. They will know that 4 shots isn't enough to win games at the top level.
• City got the job done, but it should've been more comfortable, their shot accuracy was only 21%.

The Details

Kevin De Bruyne continually probed down the flank, getting 12 crosses into the box. Contributing to the win, City's technical superiority was evident as they completed 344 more passes than the Villans. For Villa, Jacob Ramsey only registered 18 touches in a frustrating game for the midfielder.

Man City finish the season in top spot, the Premier League champions, what a season they have had. Meanwhile, Villa end the season in 14th spot, and managed to avoid the end of season relegation battle.

Top Performers

That rounds off another scintillating Premier League season. August 6 can't come soon enough.

Burnley cling on for draw with Villa.

Ashley Barnes netted the first goal of the match with a penalty for Burnley in the 45th minute. Villa's Emiliano Buendía retaliated with an equalizer in the 48th minute, but there was nothing between the teams for the remainder, leading to a share of the spoils.

The Overview

• The Clarets were able to get away with a point despite only having 29% possession.
• A point apiece, the Villans will wonder how, they racked up 12 more shots than the Clarets throughout the game.

The Details

Lucas Digne posed a threat out wide all game, registering 11 crosses, while Ollie Watkins only touched the ball 19 times. Despite the draw, the Villans technical superiority was evident as they completed 348 more passes than the Clarets. For Burnley, Jack Cork was a frequent offender, committing 4 fouls.

Back-to-back draws for Villa as they inch up the table. Meanwhile, Burnley end their streak of defeats.

Top Performers

Both squads play next on Sunday, May 22nd. Villa meet Man City at the Etihad, while Burnley take on Newcastle at Turf Moor. Can the Villans make it three consecutive draws? Will the Clarets continue to make strides?

Honours even at Villa Park.

After being locked in a goalless stalemate for the first 45 minutes, Ollie Watkins scored for Villa in the 69th minute. Palace's Jeffrey Schlupp responded with an equalizer in the 81st minute following an assist by Marc Guéhi, and nobody could find a late winner.

The Overview

• In a tightly contested game, the teams had a fairly equal share of the ball with 49% possession for the Villans and 51% for the Eagles,
• Both teams were as clinical as each other in front of goal, 13 shots for the Villans and 16 shots for the Eagles.

The Details

Lucas Digne posed a threat out wide all game, registering 5 crosses, although John McGinn was a frequent offender, committing 4 fouls. While the passing game was close, the Eagles had a slight advantage, clocking up 471 completed passes to the Villans' 463.

Villa's unpredictable form continues as they inch up the table. Meanwhile, Palace's run of wins comes to an end.

Top Performers

Both squads play next on Thursday, May 19th. Villa take on Burnley at Villa Park, while Palace meet Everton at Goodison Park. Can the Villans do better next time? Will the Eagles continue to climb the table?

Liverpool take three points away from Villa.

Douglas Luiz opened the scoring early for Villa in the 3rd minute. After going down 1-0, Joël Matip retaliated in the 6th minute. Sadio Mané then completed the comeback with a tiebreaking score in the 65th minute, as Liverpool took the win.

The Overview

• The Reds converted lots of possession (61%) into lots of chances, with 17 shots at goal.
• The Villans didn't generate enough chances, only mustering 9 total shots.
• The scoreline could have been more impressive if the Reds had their shooting boots on, their shot accuracy was 35%.
• It was a good-natured game with no players picking up a yellow card.

The Details

Kostas Tsimikas posed a threat out wide all game, registering six crosses, although Sadio Mané was a frequent offender, committing 4 fouls. The Reds won the passing game, clocking up 511 completed passes to the Villans' 337. For Villa, the Reds did a good job of cutting off the supply to Ollie Watkins, limiting him to only 19 touches.

Villa taste defeat for the first time in a while. Meanwhile, Liverpool get back in the win column and move up the table.

Top Performers

Next up, Villa take on Palace at Villa Park on Sunday, May 15th. While Liverpool meet a struggling Southampton on Tuesday, May 17th. Can the Villans put this disappointment behind them? Will the Reds win again?

Villa take three points away from Burnley. 

Danny Ings began the scoring for Villa in the 7th minute following an assist by Emiliano Buendía. Emiliano Buendía then doubled the lead with a goal in the 31st minute. Villa tacked on a third goal before Burnley finally got on the scoresheet with a Maxwel Cornet goal, and that was the final as Villa took the win.

The Overview

• It was a near even battle for possession (51% vs 49%), and in terms of shots, the Villans registered 12, coming up short when compared to the Clarets 14 shots.
• The Villans' accuracy paid off well, 58% of their shots were on target.

The Details

Lucas Digne posed a threat out wide all game, registering six crosses. While the passing game was close, the Villans had a slight advantage, clocking up 449 completed passes to the Clarets' 423. For Burnley, Aaron Lennon only registered 19 touches in a frustrating game for the midfielder.

Burnley taste defeat for the first time in a while as they squander an opportunity to move up to 15th in the table. Meanwhile, Villa make it back-to-back wins and rise up the table.

Next up, there's no let up for Burnley who face Tottenham on Sunday, May 15th. While Villa meet Liverpool at Villa Park on Tuesday, May 10th. Can the Clarets put this disappointment behind them? Will the Villans make it three wins in a row?

Villa ease to victory over Norwich. 

Villa's Danny Ings set up Ollie Watkins for the opening score in the 41st minute. He then followed the assist with a goal of his own in the 90th minute, and there was nothing between the teams for the remainder, resulting in a 2-0 win.

The Overview

• In a tight battle for the ball, the Villans made good use of their possession (46%), generating 21 shots, which is 8 shots over the league average, while the Canaries' managed to get off 9 shots.
• Although they got the win, the Villans were wasteful in front of goal, only getting 29% of their total shots on target.

The Details

Lucas Digne posed a threat out wide all game, registering six crosses. For Norwich, Teemu Pukki only touched the ball 20 times, cutting a frustrated figure up front. While the passing game was close, the Canaries had a slight advantage, clocking up 469 completed passes to the Villans' 390.

Aston Villa get back in the win column and rise up the table. Meanwhile, Norwich's woeful losing run continues as they squander an opportunity to move up to 19th in the table.

Top Performers

Next up, Aston Villa face fellow strugglers Burnley on Saturday, May 7th. While Norwich take on West Ham at Carrow Road on Sunday, May 8th. Can the Villans win again? Will the Canaries halt their terrible form?