The final round of Premier League action before Christmas Day begins with reeling Manchester City travelling to face Aston Villa in Saturday's lunchtime offering.
Pep Guardiola's four-in-a-row champions have staggeringly managed only one win in their last 11 games across all competitions as the Spanish boss faces scrutiny like never before.
Aston Villa snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at Nottingham Forest last weekend but Unai Emery's side know they can leapfrog the Citizens with a win.
- UNDER 2.5 GOALS TOTAL
- DRAW
- UNDER 4.5 CARDS TOTAL
Bet On The Premier League
Goal-Rush Seems Unlikely
Saturday lunchtime games in the Premier League have a reputation for being slow burners. Five of the 10 so far this season have failed to produce more than two goals, while four of the other five had three, and Spurs' 4-1 comeback win against West Ham was the outlier.
Aston Villa haven't lost in Birmingham in the league since August.
Home games against superior opposition tend to feature few goals, with just five scored in total across three home Champions League games and Premier League tussles at Villa Park with Arsenal and Manchester United. Of those six, the hosts scored three and conceded two.
Confidence is a major worry for Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne conceded this week that as a player 'when you fear the consequences; that is when you make bad decisions'.
City have managed only 32 shots in their three most recent games, and this has the makings of a low-scoring and tense affair, where one goal might even be enough to settle it.
UNDER 2.5 GOALS TOTAL
Stalemate Appears Likely Outcome
Getting odds-against on Man City winning any Premier League game would have seemed a bargain a couple of months ago but the wheels have come off spectacularly for the champions.
So much so, they are impossible to fancy for a win at Villa Park judged on the recent formbook.
Manchester United were hardly in the game at the Etihad Stadium last Sunday but, such is the malaise City are in, they were able to plunder two late goals and win.
Unai Emery and Villa will fancy they are up to the job here but the Midlands outfit have a poor record against City, with only Newcastle having lost more Premier League games and conceded more goals to the Citizens.
Not since 1993 have Aston Villa recorded successive home league wins over City and that milestone may elude them again. The draw is the biggest-priced outcome of the three over 90 minutes and should be seized upon.
DRAW
Tempers Unlikely To Rise
Don't anticipate these sides sharing any festive argy-bargy. City are ranked 18th in the Premier League's card count table this season on 33, with only Everton and Brentford below them. Villa are 11th with three more cards to their name.
With 32 league games contested between them, they are averaging just a little over two bookings each per game and if they stay true to those stats, the card count line set at 4.5 should not be breached.
UNDER 4.5 CARDS TOTAL
