At 00:00 GMT on February 13, the 23rd round of the English Premier League reignited with defending champions Manchester City hosting Aston Villa.
Here is the pre-match analysis of Man City and Villa: Man City ranked second with 45 points from 14 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses in 21 rounds of matches, only 6 points behind Arsenal; Villa ranked 11th with 28 points from 8 wins, 4 draws and 9 losses. Last week, Manchester City was defeated by Tottenham 0-1 on the road, the overall state of worry, Guardiola's tactics failed to work, missed a good opportunity to narrow the gap with Arsenal; at the same time, Manchester City is suspected of violating the financial regulations, facing possible penalties, which will deal a blow to the team's morale; Villa's 2-4 defeat at home against Leicester City ended the momentum of the consecutive undefeated; and in the past 12 games on the road, the Villa were defeated by Manchester City.
Second: Arsenal dropped points for the second consecutive round, Man City fist-pumped, and Harland looked to score as if he was thirsty. In this round of matches, Arsenal drew 1-1 with Brentford, dropping points for the second consecutive round, Manchester City has a good opportunity to narrow the gap with Arsenal. Next midweek, City will usher in a direct dialogue with Arsenal, which is a great opportunity for the Blue Moon Army to catch up with Arsenal. This round, Man City will host Villa, the strength of the disparity, coupled with the advantage of home, Harland is expected to score twice, look for Man City to win at home, boost morale, and build up strength for next week's Premier League title fight. Pep Guardiola will face a new challenge, not only to beat Villa, but also to face Arsenal next week, hopefully the manager can maintain the stability of the lineup, which is the key to the success of Manchester City.
In the last six meetings between the two sides, City won five and drew one, keeping an unbeaten record.
Injuries for both sides: City have Foden and Stones out; for Villa, Carlos, Steele and Traore are all injured.
