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With the Burnley match done and over with, however disappointing the 1-1 draw was, the final game of the season is upon us and it’s against the Death Star that is Manchester City. The Citizens are as deep as they are unlikable, absolutely loaded with talent from top to bottom and it’s no surprise that a win for them means the league title. Among City’s previous three matches, they’ve dispatched Newcastle United 5-0 at home, beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers 5-1 at the Molineux, and drew 2-2 at West Ham United. Hammers draw aside, it’s important to understand that they’re going to score and it has ostentatious potential. As mentioned, City is stocked, and any individual could go off, but Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, and Bernardo Silva warrant extra attention.
FLASHBACK: Aston Villa pushed Manchester City until the very end, but came up short, with Bernardo Silva’s strong finish and an Ilkay Gundogan penalty in the 90th minute proving to make all the difference for the Citizens.
The Villa team sheet should be relatively similar to last week with some changes. Emi Martinez continues in goal, with Lucas Digne to his left and Matty Cash to his right, while Tyrone Mings and Calum Chambers partner at center-back. In midfield, Douglas Luiz looks to play in the number six slot, with Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn rounding out the trio. However, given City’s scoring prowess, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Marvelous Nakamba in the number six position, with Douglas Luiz bumping Jacob Ramsey to the bench. Further up the pitch, Philippe Coutinho and Emi Buendia are dueling ten’s with Ollie Watkins at striker.
PREDICTION: It’s the last game of the season and it’s set-up with all the drama you could imagine, and it’s going to be one hell of an uphill climb for Villa to get any kinds of points. Manchester City is playing for the league title at their home stadium, the atmosphere should be amazing, and Villa are most certainly the David going up against this Goliath. Aston Villa are heading in the right direction and headed there with urgency, but they’re not there quite yet. An overall decent season, but it ends with a 3-1 loss to City.