The English Football League Cup reached its final stage. Aston Villa and Manchester City will face in the finals and decide who wins this prestigious trophy. The game takes place at Wembley, meaning that there will probably be more than 80.000 spectators, which guarantees a spectacular atmosphere.
Preview
Aston Villa isn’t doing good at all lately. At the moment, they have three losses in a row, and in all of them, the Villains allowed two or more goals. In 11 straight games, this crew couldn’t keep its net intact, and it appears that the problems in defense are massive for the nominal hosts of this event. In the previous 11 trips outside Birmingham, Dean Smith’s boys won just once, conceding fewer than two goals on three occasions. Their advance to the finals of the EFL Cup is widely considered as a massive sensation, having in mind that the former Europan champions sit beneath the relegation line in the English Premier League.
On the other side, we have Manchester City, keen on capturing the trophy. Although this team can’t win the title, and probably won’t be able to play in the Champions League next season, the Sky-Blues are highly motivated coming into this event. They want to show the world that Man City won’t back down in the hard times, and the players themselves are demonstrating a high level of professionalism. The Citizens posted 8 wins and two defeats over the latest 10 road trips, and seven of them, their attack scored twice or more. Nothing has changed in their style or approach, and the best example of that was the game in Madrid where Real had a lead, yet the English team rallied back in the last 15 minutes.
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Wesley, Tom Heaton, and John McGinn are out for this match, while Jed Steer stands as questionable for Villa.
Among the Citizens, Aymeric Laporte is out following his injury against Real Madrid on Wednesday. What made every City fan happy is the news that Leroy Sane might be in the protocol after more than six months of absence.
Heat to Head Record
Throughout history, the Sky-Blues have a better record. They’ve won 73 matches, 41 saw no winners, and 57 ended in Villa’s favor. Yet the most recent finished in a humiliating way for the team from Villa Park, who lost at home 1-6. Sergio Aguero posted a hat-trick, Riyad Mahrez added two goals in what was one of the most dreadful experiences hosts had in front of their fans. El-Ghazi provided the only hit for the home team, and it was the sole one over the previous five contests. Meanwhile, the goal-difference in the latest four was 17-1 in favor of Guardiola’s company.
Prediction
There is no doubt who is the favorite here and who is going to win. With all due respect towards Aston Villa and its players, we can’t say that they have what it takes to beat the Citizens. Furthermore, having in mind Villa’s recent performances and the state of the team, we could easily see another convincing triumph of the still-reigning Premiership champions. There won’t be any calculations, and we strongly believe that Man City will go out furiously and try to finish all the job in the opening 45 minutes. The odds on Guardiola’s side to net two or more goals during that sequence are 1.22. BetXChange’s offer is arguably best on the market.
