Football tips: Phil Thompson’s 3 best bets for Aston Villa v Man City

* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

After getting off to perfect start with two wins from two under new boss Steven Gerrard, the new management team at Aston Villa face one of the sternest tests the Premier League has to offer on Wednesday night. That’s because and on-song Manchester City side come to town having won their last five games on the spin in all competitions.

The Citizens sit just a point behind leaders Chelsea in the Premier League, and if results go the way of Pep Guardiola’s men, they could be on top of the pile on Wednesday night. There is only one man we can turn to for tips for this clash and that’s Paddy Power ambassador Phil Thompson. Check out what he’s backing below.

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Wednesday 8.15pm – Aston Villa v Manchester City

TV: Amazon Prime Video

New Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard will look forward to welcoming Man City to Villa Park on Wednesday night, because this is a proper game. This is why Stevie has come to the Premier League in the first place, to pitch himself against the top managers in the sport. This one is big for Gerrard, even though he has only been a Villa for a couple of weeks.

Gerrard has certainly turned things around for Aston Villa since he took the job, two games played and he’s got two wins from them. Villa had the worst away record in the Premier League heading into the match with Crystal Palace last weekend, and I didn’t expect them to win at Selhurst Park. But, they proved me wrong and it was a fantastic victory for Stevie and his staff. But, this match is way bigger than that victory over The Eagles.

However, I feel like Manchester City are getting on one of those rolls where they look unbeatable. Only Chelsea have a better defensive record in the league than Pep Guardiola’s men, so all is looking well for them in that department. They’ve won nine of their last 12 Premier League games, and have also won their last five outings in-a-row in all competitions.

With that being said, I have to go with Man City to win on Wednesday night. However, I don’t believe we will see them rout their hosts. The bounce that Villa have had under Gerrard should prevent that, so I see the away side winning 2-1 in this one. That also means I fancy the Both Teams To Score angle and with Villa in better form of late, I believe they can nick one. Finally, don’t be surprised if Riyad Mahrez finds himself on the scoresheet.