Manchester City aim to extend their perfect start to the Premier League season to eight wins when they visit Aston Villa on Saturday. Enzo Maresca's side sit three points clear at the summit with 21 points from seven games and are on a run of five straight league victories.
The match at Villa Park kicks off at -30 UK time and pits the league leaders against a Villa side unbeaten in all competitions since mid-September. Unai Emery's team have climbed to 12th place and are on a three-match winning streak of their own, including a 6-0 Champions League win over Fenerbahçe.
Recent form and head-to-head
City's momentum is built on a formidable attack that has scored 19 league goals this season. They come into this fixture off the back of a 5-1 win over AEK Athens in the Champions League, where Phil Foden scored a hat-trick. Erling Haaland, the division's top scorer with eight goals, also found the net in that game and has scored braces in his last two Premier League appearances.
Recent meetings between these sides have been tight, with three of the last four decided by a single goal. Aston Villa won the most recent encounter 2-1 at the Etihad in May and also secured a 1-0 home win in this fixture a year ago.
Team news and absences
Manchester City will assess the fitness of Nico O’Reilly, Mateo Kovačić and Matheus Nunes after training. Haaland is confirmed as fully available. Aston Villa, however, face significant defensive absences with Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Matteo Ruggeri and Johan Manzambi all injured. Forward Antoine Semenyo is also ruled out for up to eight weeks with a knee issue.
Maresca, who became the first manager to win his first seven Premier League matches at a club, is chasing a historic eighth. "He is one of the best players in Europe when in the right position," the City boss said recently of Rayan Cherki, who scored in the midweek win.
City's current league standing of first place with a perfect record shows the challenge facing Villa. The visitors' recent form shows four wins from their last five matches across all competitions. A victory on Saturday would not only maintain their lead at the top but also set a new club record for consecutive Premier League wins at the start of a campaign. The team travels to Birmingham for the 24 October showdown.
