Aston Villa v Manchester City: Leaders chase eighth win with Haaland doubtful

Manchester City have taken 21 points from a possible 21, but Erling Haaland is doubtful as they take their perfect Premier League start to Aston Villa. The leaders enter Week 8 without the suspended P. Foden and face a side who beat them in their most recent meeting.

City’s seven wins have established a 13-point gap over Villa, who sit 12th. Yet Villa approach this fixture after a 1-0 victory at Newcastle United and with a 2-1 win at City on 24 May still fresh in the recent history between the clubs.

Haaland’s availability is the central selection question for the visitors. He is listed as questionable, while Antoine Semenyo is out and Foden serves a suspension following a red card.

Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly are also questionable. That leaves City with four players whose availability is uncertain, in addition to their two confirmed absentees.

Villa have their own problems, particularly in midfield. Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara are both ruled out with knee injuries, while defender Matteo Ruggeri is also unavailable through injury.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Ian Maatsen are questionable, with Maatsen carrying an ankle injury. George Hemmings is a doubt because of a knee injury, while Johan Manzambi and Modou Keba Cisse are also listed as questionable. Villa therefore have three confirmed absentees and five further availability concerns.

The table gives City the stronger starting position: seven wins, no draws or defeats, and a goal difference of plus 12. Their latest result was a 3-2 home victory over Ipswich Town, following a 3-0 win at Liverpool.

The other three matches in City’s listed five-game sequence brought a 5-3 victory over Sunderland and 1-0 wins against Manchester United and Coventry City. Those results include three clean sheets, although City conceded five goals across the Sunderland and Ipswich fixtures.

Villa have eight points from seven league games, with two wins, two draws and three defeats, and a goal difference of minus four. Their latest three listed results are unbeaten: a 3-2 away win over Tottenham Hotspur, a 2-2 home draw with Brentford and the victory at Newcastle.

Their two most recent home results listed were the Brentford draw and a 2-1 defeat by Nottingham Forest. Saturday brings the league leaders as Villa seek to follow their away success with a home result.

Kickoff is at 12:30 BST on Saturday 24 October. City will be playing for an eighth consecutive league victory to open the 2026/27 season; Villa have the opportunity to build on their Newcastle win against the team setting the early pace.

Questions

Is Erling Haaland available against Aston Villa?

Haaland is listed as questionable. Antoine Semenyo is out, while P. Foden is suspended following a red card.

What is a clean sheet?

A clean sheet means a team finishes a match without conceding a goal.

What happened in the teams’ most recent meeting?

Aston Villa beat Manchester City 2-1 away on 24 May 2026.

When does Aston Villa v Manchester City kick off?

The match kicks off at 12:30 BST on Saturday 24 October, in Week 8 of the 2026/27 Premier League season.