How Manchester City could line up against Aston Villa

Manchester City will be without Rodri and Jack Grealish for Wednesday's Premier League encounter against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

The Citizens duo picked up their fifth yellow cards of the season in last weekend's 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and will subsequently serve a one-match suspension versus Unai Emery's side.

Pep Guardiola may also be without winger Jeremy Doku, who limped off with a unspecified leg issue early in the second half against Spurs, while Matheus Nunes is another who will be assessed ahead of kickoff after missing the last three games with a muscle problem; Kevin De Bruyne, meanwhile, remains sidelined with a long-term hamstring injury.

The absence of Rodri could see Mateo Kovacic handed a start in a deep-lying midfield role alongside Manuel Akanji, while Guardiola has revealed that John Stones is back in contention to start after recovering from a muscle problem; Rico Lewis and Kalvin Phillips are two more options at the Catalan's disposal who could feature in the engine room.

With Akanji expected to continue in the pivot role, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias and one of Nathan Ake or Josko Gvardiol are set to start in a defence that has conceded 10 goals in their last four matches across all competitions.

Further up the pitch, Doku is set to retain his place on the left flank if he passes a late fitness test, now that Grealish is unable to face his former club, while Phil Foden could continue on the right if Bernardo Silva is deployed in a central role, either alongside Akanji or next to Julian Alvarez in the final third.

Erling Haaland is reportedly at risk of a FA charge following a social media post after the draw with Spurs, but the striker – who scored in a 1-1 draw at Villa Park last season and has since netted 14 goals in as many Premier League games this term – is expected to lead the line on Wednesday. Manchester City possible starting lineup: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake; Akanji, Kovacic; Foden, Alvarez, Bernardo, Doku; Haaland