English Premier
2026-05-24 - Manchester City vs Aston Villa
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 24th May 2026 - Kick Off 4pm
This game is live on TV
Manchester City
News broke early in the week that Pep Guardiola would be leaving as manager of Manchester City at the conclusion of the season, although there has been no official word from the club at the time of writing. That may change in the hours leading up to kick off for the final game of the season and Manchester City's hopes of winning the Premier League title have already been ended.
The late equaliser at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday was not enough for Manchester City to force Arsenal to 'win out' and that means Pep Guardiola's team will finish 2nd in the Premier League table. A domestic Cup Double is not to be ignored, but the big prizes have eluded the manager and the club in the last couple of seasons. An intense atmosphere is expected at the Etihad Stadium with this potentially being Guardiola's last game in charge and Manchester City have a 14-3-1 record here in the top flight.
Manchester City are unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions, but they have had to settle for a couple of away Premier League draws during that time, which have ended the title hopes. Home form has been better and Manchester City have won 4 in a row at the Etihad Stadium in all competitions since the March international break.
A full squad is available for the manager- this is potentially his last game in charge, while the likes of John Stones and Bernardo Silva are set to move on in the summer.
Aston Villa
A first major trophy in thirty years and a first European trophy in forty-three years was earned by Aston Villa on Wednesday night as they comfortably beat Freiburg in the Europa League Final. A place in the Champions League had already been secured, but Unai Emery's project at Villa Park deserves silverware and that was achieved in a competition he has dominated as a manager.
The Villans will travel to the North West with nothing to lose and they could be motivated by being party-poopers in what is going to be a vibrant atmosphere even if Pep Guardiola has not officially announced his departure. Other clubs will also be taking notice of the result with Aston Villa in 4th place in the Premier League and avoiding defeat here would guarantee only five English clubs are playing in the Champions League next season.
Aston Villa suffered 3 defeats in a row at the end of April through to early May and it looked like they were going to have problems getting back into the Champions League either through the Premier League or Europa League. However, the team bounced back to win 3 of 4 games in all competitions and that has meant all of the goals of the season have been met. The side have failed to win any of the last 4 away games in all competitions and Aston Villa have lost twice in that time.
Emiliano Martinez may not be risked on the final day having broken his finger on Wednesday and with a World Cup coming up. Other changes may be made to freshen up the starting eleven and give squad members an opportunity.
Head to Head
Aston Villa beat Manchester City 1-0 at home in October.
They have not enjoyed recent visits to this part of the North West and Aston Villa have lost their last 10 fixtures at the Etihad Stadium.
Prediction
There is one more press conference for Pep Guardiola to face before the final fixture of the 2025/26 season and perhaps an announcement will be made about his future at that stage.
For now everyone is waiting to hear if widespread reports about his departure as Manchester City manager had hit the bullseye or not.
The players almost certainly know and the fans are likely going to create a huge atmosphere for Pep Guardiola having achieved so much in his time with Manchester City. That will not include another Premier League title, but it has been a decade of dominance and the fans will be urging the team to go out with some style.
A 1-1 draw at Bournemouth ended title hopes of Tuesday, but Manchester City have won 4 in a row at home and three of those have been in very big wins.
Last season two English clubs returned from the Europa League Final to play out 'dead rubbers' and Manchester United won, despite losing in Bilbao, while Tottenham Hotspur were thumped at home with a European trophy in the pocket.
Aston Villa are the team in that position in May 2026 after winning the Europa League in Istanbul on Wednesday and Unai Emery's team have already secured a top five finish in the Premier League.
Clubs like Brighton and Bournemouth may have sent some extra champagne to Villa Park in the hope that Aston Villa lose, Liverpool win and suddenly 6th place would be playing in the Champions League.
However, that is not the concern of Unai Emery, even if it is clear that the motivation could be tough to find in an atmosphere that could have a party-feel to the fixture.
Manchester City have struggled at Villa Park in recent years, but Guardiola's team have dominated them at home with 10 straight wins against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.
In usual circumstances you could point to the threat Aston Villa will bring on the counter attack, but the players may struggle to remain competitive against a Manchester City team that want to send Pep Guardiola out in style, especially if reports of his departure turn out to be true.
3 of the last 4 Manchester City home games have ended in comfortable wins and that may be the case on Sunday against an Aston Villa team that have achieved all they set out to do in August.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Manchester City 3-1 Aston Villa
