Manchester City host Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium in the final round of matches in the 2021-22 Premier League season on 22nd May. They lead the league coming into the final matchday by just one point. The reverse fixture saw the Cityzens win 2-1 away at Villa Park in December 2021. Heading into this fixture, Manchester City were held to a 2-2 draw at London Stadium against West Ham United, and Aston Villa drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace.
Manchester City played a 2-2 draw against West Ham United coming into this game. They were 0-2 down at halftime before they came back in the second half to level the game. They had the chance to win the game, but Riyad Mahrez’s penalty was saved by Lukasz Fabianski. The Cityzens’ record stands at 28 wins, six draws and three losses, with a goal difference of +72. Even though Manchester City rank second in xG, they have netted the most goals, with 96 to their name, outperforming their xG by seven.
Joao Cancelo is Manchester City’s most successful threat creator this season in the Premier League from open play. From set-pieces, it is Phil Foden who has generated the most threat for the Cityzens. Gabriel Jesus is the leading assist maker for Manchester City in this Premier League campaign, with eight to his name. Following him in joint second places are Joao Cancelo and Kevin de Bruyne, with seven assists each.
Aston Villa come into this clash having drawn 1-1 against Crystal Palace. Ollie Watkins fired Villa into the lead before Jeffrey Schlupp equalized for Palace. This draw leaves Aston Villa with a record of 13 wins, five draws and 18 losses, and a goal difference of -1. The Villans have received the most fouls of any team in the Premier League, with 469, and 11.85 per game. Manchester City must be wary of committing fouls in dangerous positions in this game.
Aston Villa have slightly overperformed on their xG per game of 1.12 by netting 1.19 goals per game. The Villans have also outperformed their xA per game of 0.7 by having 0.86 assists per game. Despite this overperformance, they rank just above the median in these categories along with several other categories, including key passes per game, smart passes per game and through balls per game, to name a few.
Given above is the shot map of Aston Villa this season in the Premier League, excluding the penalties. Ollie Watkins is the top goalscorer for the team, with 11 strikes to his name. Overall, Villa have taken 434 shots and netted 47 goals (excluding own goals from opponents), giving them a conversion rate of 9.23 shots per goal scored.
Manchester City’s equation to win the 2021-22 Premier League is very simple – win this game. This will not only give the Cityzens their second consecutive league title but also prevent Liverpool from achieving the unprecedented quadruple.
