Last updated on: May 21, 2026
Manchester City will entertain Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium this Sunday as they look to secure maximum points from this home game in the Premier League. The Mancunian club were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw away at Bournemouth recently, so they would be eager to end the season on a high by earning a win this weekend. Infact, you can check out the predictions we did for this game (and all the other ones for the final gameweek) with Essential Football.
Pep Guardiola will set his players up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make a few changes to his first team for this game. Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden and John Stones could all play from the start of this contest.
4-2-3-1 Manchester City Predicted Lineup To Face Aston Villa
Defence
Gianluigi Donnarumma will play in goal for the Mancunian giants after conceding one goal in his last appearance. Marc Guehi will operate alongside John Stones at the heart of Guardiola’s defence as they focus on keeping the opposition at bay during the 90 minutes.
Matheus Nunes will try to catch the eye as the right-back, while Nico O’Reilly looks to prove his worth on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will try to go forward and join in on the attack at every chance they can get.
Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol will offer cover for the defensive positions on the bench.
Midfield
Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva will anchor the midfield for Man City as they focus on establishing their superiority over the opposition at the centre of the park.
The gifted trio of Jeremy Doku, Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo will operate just ahead of them as part of Guardiola’s attack. All three of them need to be at their best if Man City are to come out on top this weekend.
Tijjani Reijnders and Savinho will have to be content with a place on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the second half if required.
Attack
Erling Haaland will spearhead Man City’s attack in the final third. He would be eager to make a difference for his team by finding the back of the net this weekend.
Omar Marmoush will be available for selection on the bench as he waits for his chance to make an impact in the latter stages of the game if needed.
