Aston Villa v Manchester City Betting Tips: Can Villa stop a City threepeat?

Odds and preview of Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final

Two teams with League Cup pedigree clash in Sunday’s final, can Man City claim the trophy for the third time in a row?

The match kicks-off at 16:30 and we’ve got a full preview, along with the latest odds and expected line-ups right here…

Match Odds

Buoyed from a midweek Champions League win, Pep Guardiola’s Man City go into the match as heavy 2/15 favourites to win.

The last time the two sides met in January, Aston Villa fell to a heavy 6-1 defeat and that’s certainly reflected in their odds of 18/1 to win. You can also back the draw in 90 minutes at 15/2.

You can find Man City to win with both teams scoring at 15/8, back a low scoring game with under 2.5 goals at 15/8, with over 4.5 goals found at 21/10.

Form

Man City came from behind to run out 2-1 winners against Real Madrid on Wednesday night, making it three wins in a row in all competitions.

While they haven’t been at their imperious best this season, they still have quality running throughout their squad and on their day, they’re capable of beating anyone.

Dean Smith’s Aston Villa are on a run of three defeats and sit perilously close to the Premier League’s relegation zone after losing 2-0 to Southampton last time out.

In terms of their cup runs, Aston Villa can boast some big scalps along the way, thrashing Liverpool’s youngsters 5-0 in the quarter-finals, before besting Leicester City 3-2 on aggregate in the semis.

Man City faced League One team Oxford United in the quarter-finals, easing through with a comfortable 3-1 away win. A dominant away performance at rivals Manchester United in the semi-final first leg helped them to a 3-2 aggregate win.

Likely XI’s

After being replaced by Gabriel Jesus against Real Madrid, Sergio Aguero is likely to lead the line for City – he scored a hat-trick last time the teams met – while David Silva and Raheem Sterling could return to the starting 11.

Aymeric Laporte is set to miss out after leaving the field with a hamstring injury on Wednesday, opening the door for John Stones or Nicolas Otamendi to line up alongside Fernandinho in the centre of defence.

Scottish midfielder John McGinn could make a welcome return to the Villa side, with Dean Smith suggesting he’s close to 100%, while youngster Keinan Davis could also feature after recovering from hamstring injury. Both are likely to be on the subs bench.

Long-term layoffs for Wesley Moraes, Tom Heaton and Jed Steer will see them miss out on the final, while Danny Drinkwater is cup-tied and ineligible to play.

Key Battles

Experienced stopper Pepe Reina is likely to be in goal for the Villains after joining on loan from AC Milan. If he can help to marshal the likes of Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause, they might be better positioned to shut their opponents out than in their January meeting.

However, Man City’s stifling style has caused better defences to crumble under the pressure. With Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva pulling the strings, the likes of Sterling and Riyad Mahrez are free to terrorize defenders with their movement and skill on the ball. Aguero, as ever will rely on his pace, movement and deadly finishing to make the difference. 

Much has been said and written about the talents of Villa star Jack Grealish this season and if his side are to find any attacking success in the game, it’s likely to be him pulling the strings.

City’s makeshift backline have looked vulnerable to the counter at times and Grealish is the man capable of finding a killer ball, drawing defenders in or moving up the pitch with pace.

January signing Mbwana Ally Samatta has also shown flashes of talent in his brief time at the club and will be looking to endear himself to the Villa faithful.

Goalscorer Odds

Aguero might be looking to prove a point having been left out against Real Madrid and can be found at 15/8 to score first, or 2/5 anytime, with two or more goals at 2/1.

Elsewhere, Jesus can be backed at 3/4 to score anytime, with Sterling at 11/10.

Samatta leads the Villa goalscoring markets at 9/2 to score anytime, with Grealish found at 5/1.

View the latest Aston Villa v Man City odds.  

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication