Aston Villa v Man City LIVE: Premier League confirmed line-ups as Jack Grealish begins on Villa Park return

A side with six defeats in 11 against a team with eight. It is the derby of the out of form, with two Spanish managers looking for a winning formula. Pep Guardiola has dropped Kyle Walker and Kevin de Bruyne and selected the fit-again John Stones. Unai Emery has preferred Jhon Duran to Ollie Watkins.

Jack Grealish has been at City since August 2021. He has only played particularly well for one of those seasons, 2022-23. Last year, he found form for a month, from the end of December, and around 10 days in spring. His form otherwise explained his omission from England’s Euro 2024 squad. He may have been luckless with ill-timed injuries this season and the statistics again show City lose a lower percentage of games he starts, but his recent achievements end there.

And the glimpse of his beloved ground may remind Grealish, the great-grandson of a 1905 Villa FA Cup winner and the Brummie who captained them to promotion, of what he is missing out on. Sold long before Unai Emery was appointed, Grealish was not to know what would happen in his absence, but the thought must have crossed his mind that he could have still been there, skippering them in their Champions League win over Bayern Munich.

L 1-2 vs Tottenham (A) – Carabao Cup

L 1-2 vs Bournemouth (A) – Premier League

L 1-4 vs Sporting (A) – Champions League

L 1-2 vs Brighton (A) – Premier League

L 0-4 vs Tottenham (H) – Premier League

D 3-3 vs Feyenoord (H) – Champions League

L 0-2 vs Liverpool (A) – Premier League

W 3-0 vs Nottingham Forest (H) – Premier League

D 2-2 vs Crystal Palace (A) – Premier League

L 0-2 vs Juventus (A) – Champions League

L 1-2 vs Manchester United (H) – Premier League

Pep Guardiola, speaking to TNT Sports ahead of Man City’s test against Aston Villa.

On the return of John Stones and Manuel Akanji, who start:

“They train two, three times. Important players for us.”

On Ederson, who is not in the City squad:

“He’s not here. He doesn’t feel good.”

On Walker and De Bruyne, who have both dropped to the bench:

“The way we want to play, I decide this line-up. As simple as that.”

Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland, who has scored just once in five appearances.

“I prefer to play with Erling,” said Guardiola. “I don’t think in the situation that I have that I don’t let Erling play – absolutely not. No, no, I didn’t think about that.

“Always I play false nines for the quality specifically of the players I have in that moment.

“In some games playing man to man, I love to play against false nines but I have an Erling, I have to adapt.

“I see him well, I see him fine. The reason why maybe he’s not so productive in this situation is for the way we are playing, that we don’t produce the amount of chances that we were able to do in the past.

“When he’s surrounded by two or three or four central defenders it’s not easy for him. We have to play better, to create the spaces for him.”

Unai Emery insists Pep Guardiola is “the best” coach as Aston Villa seek to pile further misery on Manchester City.

City have lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions, winning just once in that sequence, and fallen nine points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.

The Premier League champions have also played a game more than Arne Slot’s table toppers and face a tough weekend assignment with a Saturday lunchtime date at Villa Park.

But Villa boss Emery has no doubt over what he is coming up against, saying of his fellow Spaniard Guardiola: “He’s the best. I’m a little bit surprised (about Manchester City’s form), but it’s football.

“It’s a very tough match and an exciting match for us. We’re respecting them a lot.”

Pep Guardiola has revealed that Manchester City may look to do business in the January transfer window – something that he has rarely done while in charge of the champions.

But City are struggling and have a long injury list, although Guardiola has said that any new recruits will not be stop-gap signings.

“We’ve spoken about doing something. If it’s in winter it’s if we really we need it or if we can really find something – (but) not for just four or five months.

“We’ll see. I don’t know how many times in the last years we’ve gone into the winter (market) – maybe just Aymeric Laporte seven years ago.

“We’re not a big fan of that but the circumstances of this season have been special. We have to see if something is possible and if not we will wait until the summer time.

“In the winter it is more difficult to do. Teams don’t want to sell and they are so expensive.”

So Jack Grealish starts on his return to Villa Park. Mateo Kovacic also returns for the visitors, as does John Stones. There’s no Ederson in Man City’s squad, with Stefan Ortega starting in goal. Kyle Walker is fit but drops to the bench.

Jhon Duran starts ahead of Ollie Watkins for Aston Villa and Boubacar Kamara partners Amadou Onana in midfield, with John McGinn and Youri Tielemans either side. Morgan Rogers starts against his former club.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash; Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Kamara; Tielemans, McGinn; Rogers, Duran.

Subs: Olsen, Mings, Barkley, Buendia, Watkins, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey.

Man City XI: Ortega, Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Gundogan, Bernardo; Foden, Haaland, Grealish

Subs: Carson, Walker, Ake, Doku, De Bruyne, Savio, Simpson-Pusey, O’Reilly, McAtee.

Aston Villa: