Having experienced one of the most turbulent weeks off the field in their 143-year history, Manchester City return to Premier League action with the visit of Aston Villa to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Pep Guardiola's side fell to a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last time out, while the visitors are looking to bounce back from a defeat of their own after going down 4-2 to Leicester City.
Match preview
© Reuters
Keeping players focused on the top-flight title race has been a thankless task for Pep Guardiola in recent days, as Man City take to the pitch for the first time since being charged with over 100 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules relating to sponsorship income, revenue and operating costs.
While the Citizens have emphatically denied the charges - which have now been passed on to an independent commission - a sombre atmosphere would have surely been present at the training ground this week, as players and staff rack their brains regarding their futures in Manchester.
There will be no rapid decision regarding the accusations, but City could be hit with unprecedented sanctions if found guilty - from points deductions and fines to expulsion from the league - and Guardiola will no doubt be dreading the questions coming his way as City aim to avoid falling further behind Arsenal at the summit.
The reigning champions could not take advantage of the Gunners' slip-up at Everton last time out, as their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hoodoo continued courtesy of Harry Kane's record-breaking 267th Lilywhites goal, leaving them five points behind Mikel Arteta's side having played a game more.
The gap at the top will increase to eight points should Arsenal put Brentford to the sword on Saturday, so extending their winning run at the Etihad Stadium to five games in all competitions is of paramount importance to City, whose fans are in desperate need of something to cheer.
© Reuters
Unai Emery's time at Arsenal was not a congenial affair, but the ex-Gunners boss can give his former club another major helping hand in the title fight by taking advantage of the Citizens' predicament this weekend.
The Spaniard's positive impact has been well and truly felt in the West Midlands since taking the reins from Steven Gerrard, but his luck ran out when Leicester City came to town, inflicting an unexpected defeat on the Lions in a six-goal thriller.
Ollie Watkins and a Harry Souttar own goal put Villa ahead twice in the game, but James Maddison, Kelechi Iheanacho, Tete and Dennis Praet all breached the Lions' backline to prevent Emery's 11th-placed side from usurping Chelsea and Liverpool into the top half.
Aston Villa can proudly boast a three-game winning run in Premier League away matches - seeing off Brighton & Hove Albion, Tottenham and Southampton in that hot streak - but not since 2009 have the visitors collected more successive victories on the road.
Gerrard was oh so close to winning the Premier League title for Liverpool at the Etihad last term, but Man City produced a sensational comeback on the final day of the season to triumph 3-2, although they missed their shot at a 10th consecutive success against Villa earlier this season in a 1-1 stalemate.
Team News
© Reuters
The hamstring injury that Man City defender John Stones suffered in their FA Cup win over Arsenal will likely render him unavailable until March, but the England international could be the hosts' only absentee for this game, assuming that Phil Foden can recover from illness.
Guardiola made a few peculiar selection calls for the trip to Tottenham - the most notable of which saw Kevin De Bruyne named on the bench - but the Belgian will surely be recalled to the first XI here alongside Ilkay Gundogan.
Riyad Mahrez was taken off for De Bruyne on the hour mark against Spurs, despite arguably being City's most dangerous player, and he should be given a second chance on the right-hand side, as Jack Grealish lines up against his old club on the left.
Meanwhile, there has been little movement in the Aston Villa treatment room recently, with Jed Steer and Diego Carlos both still out, but Bertrand Traore is now back in full training.
Emery did not shy away from half-time changes in the defeat to Leicester - taking off Lucas Digne and Jacob Ramsey for Alex Moreno and Philippe Coutinho - and Moreno in particular should feel optimistic of displacing Digne in defence here.
Ashley Young was not moving comfortably before being hooked for Matty Cash just before the hour against Leicester, and the latter may now be considered for a recall to the first XI as well.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Laporte, Ake; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Moreno; Kamara, Luiz, Ramsey; Buendia, Watkins, Bailey
We say: Manchester City 3-1 Aston Villa
Even with events off the field threatening to derail their season further, a wounded Man City at home are a beast to be feared, and no surprises should be sprung on the Etihad turf.
Villa's taste for goals under Emery should briefly serve them well against a City backline constantly chopping and changing under Guardiola, but we still expect the champions to keep the pressure on Arsenal with a welcome triumph.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
