Our prediction for this Premier League match:
Aston Villa
Match Time & Date:
21/12/2024
13:30
Prediction: 2-1
Man City
Aston Villa will try to recover from a 2-1 loss to Nottingham Forest when they face struggling Manchester City in the Premier League round 17. The Villans are eyeing their third consecutive win at their Villa Park, but beating Pep Guardiola’s troops is easier said than done. Both Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey remain in the recovery room, while Amadou Onana and Ollie Watkins are pushing for recalls to the starting XI.
The Citizens, on the other hand, suffered a heart-breaking 2-1 loss to Manchester United in the local derby. Pep Guardiola is under big pressure following Man City’s dreadful winless run and we are positive that the Catalan tactician is going to shuffle his pack. All Savinho, Jack Grealish, and Mateo Kovacic should be recalled to the starting eleven, while all Manuel Akandji, Rodri, Nathan Ake, and Oscar Bobb continue to miss out with injuries. Anyhow, home win should be considered as Man City players are low on confidence ahead of the trip to Birmingham.
Highlighted Player (Nathan Ake):
Ake is a professional footballer who plays for the Dutch National Team and AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The versatile defender who was born on the 18th of February, 1995, started his youth career in 2003 with local club ADO Den Haag. He then moved to Feyenoord in 2007 before joining Chelsea's youth academy four years later.
Ake made his first professional appearance at the age of 17, playing for the Blues in a 0-1 away victory against Norwich on the 26th of December, 2012. Barring a few starts and substitute appearances, Ake spent his next few years at Chelsea mostly in the reserves before being sent out on a one month loan to Reading in 2015. Upon his return, he immediately joined Watford on a season-long loan where his displays earned him the Watford's young player of the season award. Another successful loan spell at Bournemouth succeeded his time at Watford before Chelsea recalled him in January 2017.
At the start of the 17/18 season, the 24-year-old rejoined his current club Bournemouth permanently on a five-year contract worth 20 million pounds. On the International stage, Ake has represented the Netherlands at every youth level and has even captained the under-17 and under-19 sides. He made his first senior appearance on the 31st of May, 2017, featuring in Hollands 2-1 friendly win over Morocco.
Highlighted Team (Aston Villa):
Aston Villa is one of the three clubs that dropped to the Championship at the end of the 2015/2016 Premier League campaign. The Villans host their rivals at Villa Park, the stadium that was opened in 1897 and its’ capacity is 42,682. However, it has to be noted that the highest attendance recorded at the stadium was 76,588 when Aston Villa faced Derby County in the FA Cup back in 1946.
Aston Villa’s fiercest rivals are Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion. Nonetheless, the rivalry between Aston Villa and Wolves and Coventry City is big as well. Aston Villa have won seven First Division (Premier League) trophies, with the team clinching seven FA Cup trophies as well.
The team’s biggest success, though, came in 1982 when they won the European Cup. The Villans defeated Bayern Munich (1-0) in the title game and Peter Withe was named the man of the match.
Real Madrid
Pachuca
Arsenal
Crystal Palace
Newcastle
Brentford 
Monaco 
PSG
Southampton
Liverpool
Espanyol 
Valencia 
