Manchester City host Aston Villa on Championship Sunday (watch live, 11am ET on NBC, NBCSports.com and Peacock Premium) and the equation is simple for Pep Guardiola’s side: a win and Man City are the Premier League champions.
We all know it’s never that simple, though. Especially with Man City…
STREAM LIVE MANCHESTER CITY v ASTON VILLA
City’s fans are expectant on the final day of the season but Steven Gerrard’s Villa can be the ultimate party poopers if they turn up and upset the hosts.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Manchester City vs Aston Villa.
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How to watch Manchester City vs Aston Villa live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 11am ET, Sunday
TV Channel: NBC
Online: Stream via NBCSports.com & Peacock Premium
Manchester City vs Aston Villa live analysis! – By Joe Prince-Wright at the Etihad Stadium
Btw, watch this video below without getting fired up. My word. Goosebumps.
What does it take to be a champion?
📺: @peacockTV #ChampionshipSunday | #MyPLMorningpic.twitter.com/s0IBLypbRh
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 22, 2022
The City team have arrived. Blue flares (which seem to be very very easy to get hold of these days!?) are plentiful around the Etihad.
Ready and raring to go! 💪#ManCity pic.twitter.com/GhvzUDRGr7
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 22, 2022
There is very much a party atmosphere here in Manchester. The vast majority of City fans seem to be expecting an easy home win today. On paper that should be the case, but it’s the final day of the season. Who knows?
Well, well, well. Here we are. 90 minutes of the season to go. Manchester City know a win at home against Aston Villa on the final day will secure the Premier League title for the fourth time in the last five seasons. But a draw or defeat leaves the door open for Liverpool (who start the final day just one point behind them) to win the title and keep their incredible quadruple hopes alive.
It is cloudy but warm here in Manchester, where the City fans I’ve spoken to are a mixture of hugely optimistic to incredibly pessimistic. They’ve been in these kind of scenarios quite a lot over the years and they always seem to make life more complicated than it should be. Just over 10 years ago Sergio Aguero delivered that iconic moment (No. 1 in our list of the Top 30 moments in PL history) amid late drama on the final day to win the title. Surely we won’t see anything like that again today…
😎 Hello from Manchester!
🏟 Etihad Stadium
🏆 #ChampionshipSunday
⚽️ Man City v Aston Villa
🚨 Live analysis/watch ⤵️https://t.co/ddHauIlA8X pic.twitter.com/dKHhYKa8yg— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 22, 2022
Manchester City team news, injuries, lineup options
Defenders John Stones and Kyle Walker have both made speedy recoveries and could be available for this game, while Ruben Dias remains out.
Aston Villa team news, injuries, lineup options
Kortney Hause is ruled out, while Ezri Konsa is also out with a long-term knee injury. Leon Bailey could feature after recovering from an ankle injury.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa preview
City sit atop the table and have a one-point lead over Liverpool heading into the final 90 minutes of the season. Given their superior goal difference all they have to do is equal or better Liverpool’s result (they host Wolves at Anfield) on the final day to secure a fourth Premier League title in the last five years. But with plenty of defensive injuries and coming off the back of a shaky 2-2 draw at West Ham last week, Guardiola is urging City’s fans to turn up at the Etihad and ‘give their lives’ to the team. This will be a tense afternoon but nine times out of 10 you’d expect City to win this game comfortably and a few early goals will settle the nerves of the City faithful. They hope.
As for Aston Villa, well, they have a top 10 finish to play for as they can finish in 10th with a win or as low as 14th if they lose. Steven Gerrard is determined to finish as close to the top 10 as possible and he rested Danny Ings and Philippe Coutinho for the midweek draw at home to Burnley. With his status as a Liverpool legend confirmed from his playing days, Gerrard will aim to do the one thing he didn’t do at Liverpool: win a Premier League title for the Reds. Villa are more than capable of grabbing a draw, or even more, at City and if they do then it is highly-likely Liverpool will pip City to the title and their quest for the quadruple will go down to the Champions League final.