Aston Villa v Manchester City
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 12 February 2012 - Kick Off 4pm
This game is live on TV

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Aston Villa

Apparently there is a protest being organised for Sunday's game at Villa Park as the fans have never really accepted Alex McLeish as the manager of the club, being the former manager of Birmingham City, and I am sure Aston Villa would have preferred to have an easier game than the one they are faced with. Inconsistent performances and dressing room unrest has been the theme of the season, but it would show a lot of they can come together and upset the apple-cart here.

Aston Villa are down in 14th place in the Premier League following the results on Saturday and they have gained just 28 points so far this season, with only 7 points separating them and the teams struggling in the relegation zone. They have a 3-4-5 record at Villa Park, scoring 14 goals and conceding 16.

The team have won just 1 of their last 5 League games, while also being knocked out of the FA Cup by Arsenal after blowing a 0-2 lead at the Emirates. Villa have won just 1 of their last 8 League games at home, and have not won any of their last 6. They went through a period of losing 4 consecutive games here, although drawing their last 2, and have already been beaten by Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal on this ground.

Stephen Ireland should recover from a knock to take part against his former club, but Gabby Agbonlahor needs a late fitness test. Charles N'Zogbia and Alex McLeish were apparently involved in a dressing room argument last week in the loss to Newcastle United, so it will be interesting to see if the Frenchman is dropped here.

Manchester City

Manchester City seem to be feeling the pressure just a little bit in recent weeks as they exited the Carling and FA Cup competitions in January. The League remains the priority for Roberto Mancini, but he will have to deal with a new kind of pressure as Manchester United took over at the top of the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

United are top by 1 point thanks to their 2-1 win over Liverpool, although City would reclaim that spot as long as they can avoid defeat in this game. With Tottenham Hotspur not too far behind either, City know they cannot afford to drop too many points. They bring a 6-3-3 away record into this game, scoring 26 goals and conceding 13 in those games, making them the highest scorers on their travels this season so far.

The team beat Fulham 3-0 at home last time out, bouncing back from a disappointing 1-0 loss at Everton, and they have won 4 of their last 5 games in the Premier League. The performances have not been as good as earlier in the season, and there has been a little bit of fortune about a couple of their results in that time. It is away from home that City have had a hard time, winning just 1 of their last 6 away games in the League and actually losing 3 of their last 5.

Yaya Toure has helped the Ivory Coast to the African Cup of Nations Final so will be back for the next League game in two weeks time. Samir Nasri is a doubt, while Mario Balotelli completes his suspension, but Vincent Kompany should return having missed the win over Fulham.

Head to Head

Manchester City crushed Aston Villa 4-1 at home earlier this season, but they have had it much more difficult when visiting Villa Park.

City have not won on any of their last 4 visits to this ground, and they were beaten here 1-0 last season courtesy of a Darren Bent winning goal.

Aston Villa have won 2 and drawn 2 of the last 4 games played between the teams here.

Prediction

This is a big test of City's title credentials as they visit a ground that the other top teams have already won at, and I think they are still playing Villa at a good time as the home fans have been displaying their unhappiness and are expected to demonstrate before this game.

Alex McLeish has struggled to find consistency in his results as I believe he is unsure how he can get Villa playing more attacking football when he instinctively wants to play a little more of a cautious system.

Villa have really struggled here where the onus is on them to make the running and they cannot afford a start like they did in their last home game when falling 0-2 down to QPR.

The absence of Yaya Toure has affected the City performances in my opinion as they don't really have someone who can replicate the physical presence and combine that with the drive that Toure provides. However, they did play pretty well against an ordinary Fulham side at home last time out, and I think City will be able to grind out a result here.

However, I think their away form of late suggests City may have to wait before they manage to get the breakthrough and so I am going to back this game to be a draw at half time, before City go on to win that game at the 90 minutes mark.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll take the Draw HT-Manchester City FT @ 4.50 (Ladbrokes/Various)