Man City predicted lineup vs Aston Villa - Premier League | OneFootball

Manchester City are looking for some respite amid a dire run of results when they visit Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola's side plunged further into crisis last weekend following their miserable late defeat to local rivals Manchester United, an eighth loss in their last 11 matches and a result that leaves them nine points off league leaders Liverpool having played a game more.

The journey to Villa Park will certainly put Man City's power of resolve to the test in a fixture they lost last season. Guardiola has several defensive injuries to consider and he may have to go back to basics with his tactical instructions this weekend.

Here is how City could line up in the Midlands.

Man City predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)

Man City need a seismic performance from Kevin De Bruyne / Michael Regan/GettyImages

GK: Ederson - Ederson's return to the team after several matches on the bench has seen two straight defeats to Juventus and Man Utd. The Brazilian has been exposed by the misfiring defence in front of him.

RB: Kyle Walker - Had Matheus Nunes not completely lost his mind for 15 seconds in the Manchester Derby, he may well be lining up again at left-back for City. But given what transpired and the fact Rico Lewis is more than comfortable playing there, it probably means veteran Walker gets another start.

CB: John Stones - Stones' two most recent outings were both of Man City's defeats to Tottenham Hotspur but injuries to Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake mean the Englishman may be drafted back into the starting XI at Villa Park.

CB: Josko Gvardiol - Gvardiol's form over the last month has been way below his best and errors have been all too frequent. Will need to shift into the middle once more following news of Ruben Dias' muscular injury.

LB: Rico Lewis - The young and versatile full-back was missing for the Manchester derby after seeing red the weekend before against Crystal Palace. He's been used in a range of weird and wonderful functions this season and a return to left-back may be required here.

DM: Ilkay Gundogan - The decline of the German has been plain for all too see since his return to the Etihad Stadium but in fairness to the ageing midfielder, he's been asked to fill Rodri's gargantuan shoes.

DM: Mateo Kovacic - Kovacic made his first appearance since the November international break against Man Utd and the Croatian's return will be welcomed with open arms by Guardiola. He should provide some much-needed defensive cover in the engine room.

RW: Bernardo Silva - The Portuguese is one of Man City's sub-par superstars, failing to reach his usual lofty standards. He will be asked to do plenty of work in both halves against a high intensity Villa side.

AM: Kevin De Bruyne - De Bruyne sparkled in Man City's only win in their last 11 matches against Nottingham Forest but has been relatively quiet since. The reigning Premier League champions desperately need his wizardry on Saturday.

LW: Jeremy Doku - Often looking both unstoppable and ungainly simultaneously, Doku may be unleashed as a diminutive battering ram on Saturday. He should sprint relentlessly down Villa's left-hand side.

ST: Erling Haaland - The Norwegian had just 21 touches during the Manchester derby, three more than he enjoyed against Juventus in the Champions League. If he's not involved, he simply has to be scoring, but Man City's general lethargy means that hasn't happened too frequently in recent weeks.