Manchester City will aim to return to the top of the Premier League table - for 24 hours at least - when they make the trip to take on Aston Villa on Saturday evening.

The champions put six past Nottingham Forest without reply in midweek, while Steven Gerrard's side went down 2-1 to early pacesetters Arsenal.

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Steven Gerrard can take solace in the fact that he will not be the first managerial casualty of the Premier League season - that unwanted honour belongs to Scott Parker - but the 42-year-old has admitted that he is fearing for his future in the Villa hotseat.

How the Lions were not blown out of the water by Arsenal in the first half of Wednesday's contest remains a mystery, with only Gabriel Jesus's goal separating the two sides at the midway point, and Villa threatened to end the Gunners' perfect start through Douglas Luiz's direct corner goal before Gabriel Martinelli hit back less than three minutes later.

While Villa demonstrated a greater sense of urgency in the second 45 minutes, the scoreline certainly flattered Gerrard's men, who have now suffered three straight Premier League defeats - all to London clubs - and can only boast three points from a possible 15 so far.

Such dismal fortunes leave the Lions below the dotted line in 19th, and while there is still a lot of football to be played in the coming months, the early signs of discontent can be heard across the West Midlands as Gerrard desperately tries to find the formula to best the champions.

Now without a clean sheet in 10 Premier League matches dating back to April's 2-0 victory over Norwich City, Villa's defensive frailties could certainly be exposed by City's in-form marksman Erling Braut Haaland, whose name has already been etched into the history books.

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Newly-promoted teams visiting the Etihad Stadium is almost always a recipe for success for Pep Guardiola's side, whose towering talisman Haaland once again saw very little of the ball but ended up taking it home with him after a second successive hat-trick.

The 22-year-old had three strikes to his name by the 38-minute mark on Wednesday night - setting a new record for the most goals scored in a player's opening five Premier League games with nine - before fellow new signing Julian Alvarez bagged a brace on his first Premier League start, and there was time for Joao Cancelo to get in on the act with a cracking finish.

With Liverpool faltering in the early stages of the new season, only Guardiola's former student Arteta has managed to glean more points with his side in their opening five games, and City's 13 points sees them sit two behind the table-topping Gunners, who are not in action until Sunday against Manchester United.

The Citizens have continued their theme of scoring at least twice in a Premier League match to rack up a league-leading 19 in total so far this term, and not since March's goalless draw at Crystal Palace have City not found the back of the net at least twice in the top flight - a remarkable streak of 14 matches.

Now aiming to make it 18 games unbeaten in the Premier League, Man City could only win 2-1 at Villa Park last term before the final-day drama that unfolded at the Etihad, as Gerrard's side failed to hang on to a 2-0 lead and ultimately lost 3-2 before the title celebrations commenced.

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The luxury of a near fully-fit squad did not benefit Villa at the Emirates, and Gerrard did not pick up any fresh injury concerns on Wednesday night, leaving long-term absentee Diego Carlos on his own in the treatment room.

Luiz's eye-catching equaliser direct from a corner led to calls for the Brazil international to start over John McGinn, and he should certainly be in with a chance of forcing his way back into the first XI after late interest from Arsenal was rebuffed.

Leon Bailey was one of the bright sparks of Villa's defeat to the Gunners and will expect to hold his place in the forward line, and Emiliano Martinez is in no danger of losing his place in goal despite failing to cover himself in glory for both of Arsenal's goals.

Leander Dendoncker and Jan Bednarek are both in with chances of making their debuts after signing on deadline day, but the former will need assessing due to a sore throat.

In contrast, City boss Guardiola was without a number of players for the 6-0 thumping of Nottingham Forest and will continue to make do without Aymeric Laporte for approximately six weeks, while Kalvin Phillips is still nursing a shoulder issue.

In brighter news, Jack Grealish and Nathan Ake could potentially return from knee and groin injuries respectively to make themselves available, while Manuel Akanji could make his debut after joining from Borussia Dortmund.

Any minutes for the Swiss centre-back are sure to come from the bench, while Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez will both aim to return to the first XI in place of Bernardo Silva and Alvarez, but Guardiola does have the imminent Champions League showdown with Sevilla to keep in mind.

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Luiz, Kamara, Ramsey; Bailey, Watkins, Buendia

Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Gomez; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Mahrez, Haaland, Alvarez

We say: Aston Villa 0-3 Manchester City

Villa arguably should not have been in with a chance of stealing a point off of Arsenal in midweek, but credit where credit is due to some of their last-ditch defending efforts, and they did come out fighting in the second period.

However, such small positives are unlikely to count for much against the rampant champions, who will seek to further increase the pressure on the under-fire Gerrard with a straightforward success on Saturday.

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