Manchester City have done brilliantly on their travels and have the best away form in the league, as they have won six games, drawn two and lost two while visiting other teams. But unlike most other teams, they seem to falter in the presence of their own fans.
Of the last six games at Eastlands, Mancini’s charges have won two, drawn two, and lost two, which has proven to be their relative downfall in what has been a steep rise in standing this season - albeit owing to the binge on the transfer market.
Arsenal and Chelsea lock horns in north London on Monday. But irrespective of the result of that game, City will still have played at least one game more than the other three teams in the top five. And this means that any slip up could see the club drop out of the top four depending on the results of teams around them.
Victory in this game will take the Eastlands outfit to top spot in the Premier League for a brief period, with the result of Manchester United’s trip to Birmingham City being the determining factor as to whether they would continue to remain on top.
Houllier Under Pressure
Gerard Houllier will likely be a worried man as his side prepare to lock horns with the high flying - and high spending - title chasers.
Aston Villa were consistently on the brink of breaking through in seasons past, but have now fallen prey to a consistently inconsistent run that has cast a cloud over the Frenchman’s reign at Villa Park.
The former Lyon boss arrived in Birmingham after the sudden departure of fan-favourite Martin O’Neill, prior to the start of the season. But the results have done him no good, and recent comments following a match against Liverpool - a club he previously managed - would have irked the wrath of a few fans.
In defence of the ex-Liverpool boss, the money generated from the sale of James Milner was not reinvested in the squad as the manager has been left to rely on younger players in the absence of some of his more experienced charges.
But without the required results on the pitch, one could wonder as to how long the relationship between Houllier and owner Randy Lerner could be like the titanic; great at first, only to hit an iceberg and sink to the bottom of the ocean.
TEAM NEWS
Manchester City
City boss Roberto Mancini has maintained that he will tinker with his line-up for this encounter to give some of his players a rest, due to their exertions against Newcastle United. But he will likely keep James Milner in the starting line-up, having singled him out for praise after the victory over Alan Pardew’s charges.
Pablo Zabaleta was a doubt for the recent game against the Tyneside club, but managed to make the bench on Boxing Day. He could come back to man the right-back position, but faces some competition from Micah Richards.
Kolo Toure returns after serving a suspension after getting sent off against Everton. Emmanuel Adebayor (groin) and Wayne Bridge (hamstring) are doubts for this game.
Possible starting XI: Hart; Zabaleta, K Toure, Kompany, Kolarov; Milner, De Jong, Barry; A Johnson, Tevez, Balotelli.
Aston Villa
Gerard Houllier received a much-needed boost in the last game as Stilian Petrov returned from injury, while Fabian Delph was able to make a start against Tottenham - though he was later replaced as the skipper marked his return to action.
Luke Young (groin) is a doubt as he had not trained prior to the game against Spurs, and continues to be a doubt for this one. He is joined by Ashley Young (knee), who was described as a “touch and go” prior to the last match. But with this fixture coming only two days after the loss to Harry Redknapp’s men, the winger would likely still be a doubt for this game.
Emile Heskey went off injured in the last game and may miss this one through injury.
Possible starting XI: Friedel; Lichaj, Collins, Cuellar, Warnock; Downing, Reo-Coker, Petrov, Albrighton; Young; Agbonlahor.
Prediction
City may be poor at home, but Villa have been poorer on their travels. They have picked up only one point in their last six away days, which puts the home side as strong favourites to take three points on the day.
Man City 2-0 Aston Villa 
