Heading into Saturday's evening fixture with Aston Villa, the smart money is on a Manchester City victory. Defeats to AFC Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Arsenal have seen pressure mount on the shoulders of Steven Gerrard. This has only been exacerbated by the sacking of Scott Parker from the Cherries this week.
Villa are under-performing while their opponents this weekend flourish. Wednesday's win at home to Nottingham Forest resembled more of a training exercise rather than a competitive fixture.
City tore through the deep Forest line on multiple occasions and with Erling Haaland steamrolling through all who lie before him - the picture looks bleak for the West Midlands outfit. However, Pep Guardiola will be well aware of the lack of dead certs in the Premier League.
