Manchester City vs Aston Villa Prediction and Betting Odds | Premier League May 22
Manchester City vs Aston Villa Betting Preview
WagerTalk soccer handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his Manchester City vs Aston Villa betting preview for Sunday, May 22 on the final match day of the English Premier League season. Manchester City won the reverse fixture 2-1 back in December at Villa Park with goals by Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva.
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| Sunday, May 22 | Premier League Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Manchester City: | -600 |
| Aston Villa: | +1700 |
| Draw: | +700 |
| Total: | 3.25 Goals (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
| Game Time: | 11:00am ET / 8:00am PT |
Manchester City vs Aston Villa Analysis
Former Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard will head into the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon no doubt conscious of the fact his Aston Villa side could potentially hand his former club the title if they can engineer a result from this game.
Manchester City sits just one point clear of Liverpool in first place, but will be wary of a Villa side who has lost just once away from home across their last six road trips in the EPL.
Aston Villa’s Poor Record At The Etihad
While Steven Gerrard would no doubt love to hand his old club the title here, in order to do that, Villa have to overcome a really miserable record when travelling to the blue side of Manchester.
The ‘Villains’ have failed to score a single goal in five of their last six meetings against Manchester City at the Etihad and have been outscored by a colossal 21-2 goal margin over those six games as well.
City Looks To Get Back In Top Shape Defensively
Both John Stones and Kyle Walker will look to get back into the squad ahead of this weekend’s game after both men were previously ruled out for the season.
That would be a welcome sight for Pep Guardiola as their defensive presence has been immense this season, especially with Kyle Walker’s ability to roam forward and create attacks for the ‘Cityzens’ as well.
The good news for Manchester City fans however is that while both players remain doubtful ahead of this game, they were both involved in first team training on Thursday, so a much needed appearance could be made by either man here on Sunday.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa Prediction
With such a short turnaround for Aston Villa in this one after Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Burnley, a lot of people likely assume all the value is on City here, but -2 is an absolutely huge handicap line and we’re going to back against that and take the Villains in this spot catching a +2 goal headstart here on Sunday.
Aston Villa have been very solid defensively of late, giving up the fourth fewest goals on the road in the league since April 1st and have the fourth-best defensive xGA rating over that time as well behind only the three big boys of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Manchester City only needs to win this game on Sunday, and additional style points simply won’t matter, so if City get a somewhat comfortable lead in this one they’ll likely just go into protection mode and to try and see out the rest of the game and claim the title.
Because of that we’re taking Aston Villa on Sunday on the +2 handicap line to see out a close, competitive game here on Sunday against Manchester City over at the Etihad.
Soccer Betting 101
New to betting on soccer? Not familiar with all the wagering options, such as three-way betting and the Asian handicap? What stats should a novice soccer bettor focus on? What are some basic tips and strategies? Carmine Bianco and Nick Borrman joined Kelly Stewart to share some tips to novice soccer bettors.
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Meet the Author
‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.
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