Aston Villa vs Manchester City

January 21, 2011
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Boosted by the recruitment of Darren Bent, Aston Villa hope to end the dismal run and record only their second win in last twelve league games, whereas Manchester City look to continue their impressive run and remain within a touching distance of their fierce rivals.

Can Darren Bent help Villa kick-start their season?

Much has been said about Darren Bent’s shock move to Aston Villa over the last few days, but all the hype can only put an extra pressure on the player who will have to justify the enormous transfer fee. He is, however, arriving to Villa at a very good time as key players like Young, Petrov and Agbonlahor are fit again following the spell on the sidelines, meaning they can take some pressure off Bent’s back. Seeing that Gerard Houllier’s side sit on the brink of the relegation zone after failing to win any of their last five league games, the hosts have got to try and win this game even if high-flying City is on the other side of the pitch. With Young, Bent, Agbonlahor and Downing in the side, the Villans will go all guns blazing at City, so everything suggests we should see a high-scoring game.

Emile Heskey serves the final game of his three-match suspension, while Delph, Ireland and Luke Young are also unavailable.

City on the right track

Heavy investment in the playing squad is finally paying off as City look like genuine title contenders at the moment, with Roberto Mancini slowly gaining control over the dressing room. City fans feared the injury to Mario Balotelli will be a major blow to the side, but the club management reacted quickly and brought Edin Dzeko, who is expected to give the side an extra push in this crucial stage of the season. With so many great attackers in the side, it is little wonder the Citizens are scoring goals for fun, so Aston Villa defenders have every reason to fear this game. Carlos Tevez looks unstoppable at the moment, but midfielders and even defenders are also contributing to the attacking department, which is something every manager likes to see.

Dzeko, Barry, de Jong and Kolo Toure return to the side after being rested in the FA Cup win over Leicester, but Balotelli and Richards are out with injuries.

Verdict

This game has over 2.5 goals written all over it. Aston Villa are desperately looking for a win and they now boast one of the best attacking departments in the league, whereas City are scoring goals for fun and are looking to extend the winning run in order to stay in the title race. We could see goals galore at Villa Park, so maybe over 3.5 should also be taken into consideration.

Our prediction:
Over 2.5 goals

Odds: 2.02 (21/20)

Bookmaker: 188BET

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