Oscar Bobb is ready to start out his first match for Metropolis in three weeks as Pep Guardiola makes three modifications for our journey to Aston Villa.
The Norway worldwide final performed from the off in our 1-0 win over Brentford on 5 October, turning out for 76 minutes on the Gtech Neighborhood Stadium.
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And the 22-year-old will function in midfield in the course of the 14:00 (UK) kick-off with Unai Emery’s facet at Villa Park.
Becoming a member of Bobb within the Blues’ XI are Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden who’ve changed Nico and Rico Lewis who began our earlier outing – a 2-0 Champions League win over Villarreal.
TEAMS
Metropolis XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Stones, Gvardiol, Reijnders, Bernardo (C), Bobb, Foden, Savinho, Haaland.
Substitutes: Trafford, Ake, Marmoush, Kovacic, Cherki, Doku, Nico, O’Reilly, Lewis.
Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Money, Konsa, Pau, Digne, Onana, Kamara, McGinn (C), Buendia, Rogers, Watkins.
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Substitutes: Bizot, Lindelof, Maatsen, Mings, Bogarde, Barkley, Guessand, Malen, Sancho.
TACTICS
Gianluigi Donnarumma is ready to make his eighth look for the Blues since his summer season arrival from PSG and he’ll be protected by a again 4 of Matheus Nunes, John Stones, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol.
On the base of midfield sits Tijjani Reijnders with Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden additionally within the engine room.
Then Erling Haaland will lead the road with Oscar Bobb and Savinho on both flank to offer additional tempo and ability to our assault.
IN SEARCH
Metropolis arrive at Villa Park right now trying to prolong our unbeaten streak in all competitions to 10 consecutive matches in all competitions.
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The implausible run of video games started with a robust 3-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday 14 September earlier than accumulating wins over Napoli, Huddersfield, Burnley, Brentford, Everton and Villarreal.
Of our 9 matches with out loss solely two of these are attracts which got here away at Arsenal and Monaco.
Nevertheless, the house of the Villans hasn’t been the happiest of searching grounds for Metropolis lately with Guardiola’s facet winless there in our earlier three visits.
Final season we suffered a slim 2-1 defeat with Phil Foden’s late strike little greater than a comfort.
However the boss mentioned in his pre-match press convention that the Blues are a distinct workforce from the one who visited Villa Park in December 2024 after 10 months of evolution.
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GOALS GALORE
Heading into matchweek 9 of the 2025/26 Premier League season, Metropolis’s 17 league targets scored was the very best throughout the division – with that tally now at the moment degree with Chelsea who misplaced 2-1 to Sunderland on Saturday.
Throughout our 5 top-flight wins up to now this time period, we’ve scored three or extra targets in three of these triumphs in victories over Wolves (4-0), Manchester United (3-0) and Burnley (5-1).
Main the best way within the membership’s Premier League goalscoring chart this season is, maybe unsurprisingly, Erling Haaland who has notched eight within the division up to now this season.
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The Norway worldwide has scored in every of his final 12 appearances in all competitions and he’s closing in on a century of English top-flight targets along with his present complete at 96.
Aston Villa have received their final two house league video games in opposition to Manchester Metropolis, final successful extra consecutively between 1960 and 1975 (5).
Man Metropolis have received 31 video games and scored 101 targets in opposition to Aston Villa within the Premier League – solely in opposition to Newcastle (32 wins, 106 targets) have they achieved so extra.
After a 5 recreation winless begin within the Premier League this season (D3 L2), Aston Villa have since received every of their final three video games. The one workforce in top-flight historical past to have a 5 recreation winless begin then win their subsequent 4 video games are Preston in 1936-37.
Manchester Metropolis have received extra factors within the Premier League than another facet for the reason that begin of April (39 – W12 D3 L2). They’ve solely conceded the primary aim in two video games in that point, whereas they’ve opened the scoring of their final six video games, their greatest run since a run of eight between April and August 2024.
Aston Villa have received their final two Premier League video games once they’ve conceded the primary aim, beating Fulham 3-1 and Spurs 2-1. Since Unai Emery’s first recreation with the Villans in November 2022, solely Pep Guardiola (14) has extra wins after conceding first than Emery (11).
Since their 5-1 defeat at Arsenal in February, Manchester Metropolis have stored extra clear sheets within the Premier League than another facet (12), whereas solely the Gunners can match Metropolis for targets conceded per recreation (each 15 in 22 video games, 0.68).
5 of the final seven Premier League targets Aston Villa have conceded have come through set items (1x penalty, 1x throw, 3x corners), conceding from a nook in every of their final three video games. The final facet to concede from a nook in 4 video games in a row had been Newcastle in April/Could 2024, whereas Villa final did so in November/December 2010.
No participant within the Premier League this season has extra targets and assists mixed in its place than Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendía (2 targets, 1 help). The Argentinian is trying to rating in consecutive Premier League appearances for the very first time.
Erling Haaland has scored in every of his final 5 away Premier League appearances for Manchester Metropolis. The one participant to attain in additional consecutive away video games for Metropolis is Sergio Agüero between March and August 2017 (7 in a row).
Metropolis have scored seven away Premier League targets in 2025-26, with Erling Haaland scoring 5 of these, netting in all 4 away video games. The one gamers to attain of their workforce’s first 5 away matches of a season are Thierry Henry in 2001-02 for Arsenal, Mohamed Salah in 2021-22 for Liverpool and Jarrod Bowen in 2023-24 for West Ham.
