Aston Villa vs. Man City predicted line-ups: £51m Villa star returns as City make three major changes

Manchester City will be looking to end a run of three score draws in the Premier League when they travel to face fellow high-flyers Aston Villa on Wednesday evening. The champions have now dropped six points in their last trio of top flight outings, and have slipped to third in the table as a consequence.

On Sunday afternoon, Pep Guardiola's side were embroiled in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, but left the pitch at the centre of a controversial officiating incident after referee Simon Hooper belatedly blew for a foul on Erling Haaland, despite Jack Grealish having just broken through on goal with the game deep into stoppage time.

For their part, Villa missed out on the chance to move above City, and to within two points of league leader Arsenal, with a draw of their own on Sunday. Unai Emery's men left it late to rescue a point against a newly-revitalised Bournemouth, with Ollie Watkins striking in the 90th minute to salvage a 2-2 draw on the south coast.

But how will both sides line up at Villa Park in midweek? We've taken a closer look at their respective team news and predicted XIs below...

Aston Villa Team News

The good news for Vila is that the aforementioned Watkins survived an injury scare last week to start against Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon, and the chances are that all being well, the England international will be given the nod on Wednesday evening too. It's now eight goals and eight assists in 14 Premier League outings for Watkins, who will be hoping to continue his stunning run of form against the champions.

Elsewhere, Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia both remain sidelined for the foreseeable future as a result of long-term ACL injuries, while Bertrand Traore is out with a muscular complaint. In more positive news, however, midfielder Boubacar Kamara should return to the side after having served a one-game ban against Bournemouth following a fifth yellow card of the campaign.

Aston Villa Predicted XI

Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne; Leon Bailey, Douglas Luiz, Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn; Moussa Diaby, Ollie Watkins.

Man City Team News

City boast a relatively clean bill of health heading into Wednesday's clash, with just two players expected to be unavailable. Summer signing Matheus Nunes is unlikely to feature as he continues to battle a muscular injury, although it is expected that he could be available for the trip to Luton Town next weekend.

Elsewhere, Kevin de Bruyne remains absent as a consequence of an ongoing hamstring issue, but could return to action next month. Speaking about the Belgian recently, Guardiola said: "If he [De Bruyne] said January, it's January. I'd love to have him for more of the season. But if he says, it's a happy new year for everyone." Previously sidelined duo John Stones and Mateo Kovacic were both named on the bench against Spurs, and could feature during the trip to Villa Park.

Man City Predicted XI

Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake; Rodri, Mateo Kovacic, Bernado Silva; Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku.