Manchester City vs Aston Villa – News and Probable Lineups

Following their disappointment in the Premier League title race, Manchester City are set to face Europa League champions Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium for their final match of the 2025-26 season this Sunday afternoon.

This game will mark the last in charge for Pep Guardiola after his recent announcement regarding his departure on Friday, concluding a decade filled with trophies at the club.

Match overview

Pep Guardiola is set to experience consecutive seasons without clinching a league title for the first time in his 18-year managerial tenure, after Manchester City’s 1-1 draw against Bournemouth on Tuesday night confirmed Arsenal as Premier League champions.

Nevertheless, securing a domestic cup double (EFL Cup and FA Cup) along with a second-place finish in the league still highlights a successful season for City, who are set to give Guardiola—a highly celebrated manager and arguably the finest in Premier League history—a memorable farewell in what is now a dead-rubber fixture for both sides.

As he takes the reins of his 593rd and final match as Manchester City manager in front of the newly-renovated Pep Guardiola Stand, the iconic Catalan will surpass Les McDowall’s record of 592 matches from 1950 to 1963 as the longest-serving manager in the club’s history.

Guardiola holds an impressive tally of 20 trophies with Manchester City, including six Premier League titles, boasting the highest win percentage of any permanent coach in the division (70.9% – 268 wins in 378 matches), and he has emerged victorious in 10 of his last 14 clashes against Aston Villa, including all six encounters at the Etihad with an aggregate score of 17-5.

In fact, Manchester City have prevailed in 19 of their last 20 home league matches against the West Midlands club, achieving wins in the last 15 while netting two or more goals in 14 of those victories—since a 2-0 defeat in April 2007.

The Citizens approach their final match without a loss in 15 Premier League encounters since falling 2-0 to rivals Manchester United in January, whereas Guardiola has triumphed in his final league match in eight of his nine seasons with the sky blues—the only blemish on his record occurred in a dead-rubber match at Brentford in the 2022-23 campaign (1-0 loss) prior to the club’s historic treble celebration.

While the atmosphere around Manchester City is rather muted, Aston Villa is experiencing a contrasting mood, having celebrated European success for the first time in 44 years on Wednesday by defeating Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final.

A stunning first-half brace from Youri Tielemans and a subsequent goal from Emiliano Buendia paved the way for a comfortable win in Istanbul, allowing Unai Emery to hoist a record-extending fifth Europa League trophy as a manager before participating in the victory parade on Thursday.

Success in the Europa League guarantees a place in next season’s Champions League for any club, but Villa had already clinched their position in Europe’s elite competition for 2026-27 with a commendable 4-2 victory over Liverpool last week, cementing their top-five finish in the Premier League with a game remaining.

The West Midlands side travels to the Etihad with no pressure, and should they suffer defeat on Sunday while Liverpool beats Brentford, Emery’s team could drop from fourth to fifth in the standings. The final Champions League spot would consequently be passed down to sixth place, intensifying the competition for Bournemouth and Brighton.

Aston Villa’s lackluster history at the Etihad provides hope for those pursuing a top-six finish, but they’ve secured three wins in their last five meetings against Manchester City, with all victories occurring on home soil, including a close-fought 1-0 win at Villa Park earlier this season.

Emery’s squad, who have recorded six wins, six draws, and six losses in their away league matches this season, could achieve a league double over Manchester City for the first time since the 2001-02 season if they manage to defeat Guardiola’s team this Sunday.

Team News

As Guardiola departs, both Bernardo Silva and John Stones will also bid farewell to Manchester City this Sunday as they prepare to leave the club following the completion of their contracts. Both are expected to play a role, with Silva likely starting as captain in midfield.

Players like James Trafford, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rico Lewis, Tijjani Reijnders, Nico Gonzalez, Savinho, Rayan Cherki, and Omar Marmoush will be available for selection now that this final match holds no stakes for the Citizens.

Phil Foden, who surprisingly did not make England’s World Cup squad, could also see time on the pitch, while Erling Haaland has the chance to become just the second player in Premier League history, alongside Alan Shearer, to score over 30 goals in multiple seasons if he scores a hat-trick against Villa—Haaland currently stands at 27 goals and is on track to claim his third Golden Boot in four years.

On the Aston Villa front, Emery has mentioned he “will attempt to be serious” with the team selection but acknowledged that “it isn’t easy” to pick a focused lineup following the trophy celebrations on Thursday.

Boubacar Kamara (knee) is confirmed to be unavailable, and Alysson (groin) is also expected to miss out, while goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez may be sidelined after playing in the Europa League final with a broken finger sustained during the warm-up.

Jadon Sancho, a former Manchester City youth player now on loan from Man United, may make his final appearance for Villa. Other players like Tammy Abraham, Leon Bailey, Douglas Luiz, Ian Maatsen, and Tyrone Mings are also likely to feature, either in the starting lineup or from the bench.

Manchester City probable starting XI:

Trafford: Nunes, Stones, Ake, Ait-Nouri; Rodri, Bernardo; Savinho, Foden, Doku; Guinea Pig

Aston Villa probable starting XI:

Bizot; Bogarde, Lindelof, Mings, Maatsen; Luiz, Onana; Bailey, Rogers, Sancho; Abraham

Predicting the outcome of a match without sporting ramifications for either side is quite challenging, particularly with both coaches likely to make significant rotations to their starting lineups.

It remains to be seen how Aston Villa will perform following their Europa League celebrations, while Manchester City will be eager to seize the opportunity to provide Guardiola, Bernardo, and Stones a victorious send-off in front of the expanded Etihad crowd. Keeping that in mind, an exciting home victory appears plausible.

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