Manchester City head to Villa Park on Sunday determined to finally end their recent hoodoo at Aston Villa. City arrive on the back of a comfortable Champions League victory, a 2–0 win at Villarreal courtesy of first-half goals from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva. Haaland has been irresistible this season, failing to score in only one match and contributing 24 goals for club and country.

Aston Villa come into the fixture in low spirits after a rotated side were beaten 2–1 by Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League, a result that halted a five-match winning run across all competitions. The Midlands club must be more stubborn than they were in Deventer if they are to challenge City and push for a move into the top half of the table.

Villa have a largely healthy squad but will be without Youri Tielemans following the calf injury he suffered in mid-September; he is unlikely to return before the November international break. Andrés García will miss out, and Lucas Digne is a significant doubt after sitting out the trip to the Netherlands with an ankle problem picked up at Tottenham Hotspur.

Emery is expected to pick a side similar to the team that beat Spurs, with Ollie Watkins a possible recall for Donyell Malen. Evann Guessand, who scored his first Villa goal midweek, could continue on the right. Ian Maatsen is set to replace the injured Digne, while Morgan Rogers, John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash are likely to start after only brief cameos in the Europa League.

Aston Villa predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Onana; Guessand, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins.

Pep Guardiola has confirmed Rodri and Abdukodir Khusanov will miss the visit to Villa. Nico González, who suffered a foot injury against Villarreal, will be assessed nearer kick-off. Guardiola is expected to rotate his XI, with Tijjani Reijnders, Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly pushing for returns.

Man City predicted lineup (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Kovačić; Silva, Reijnders, Foden, Doku; Haaland.

Villa have a good recent home record against City, but City are favourites. Villa should test the visitors, but City’s firepower, led by Haaland, could prove decisive.

A significant sporting change is unfolding at Aston Villa after a poor start to the season. After no wins from five games left them in the relegation zone in the early weeks, the club looks set to alter the structure that holds sporting power at Villa Park. Reports indicate Monchi will leave his role as president of football operations, with an agreement on a successor already reported to be in place.

The Athletic first reported Monchi’s imminent departure. The Spaniard is a revered recruiter, credited with building multiple Sevilla sides across two spells that dominated the Europa League. He joined Villa in 2023 at Unai Emery’s request and played a role in helping the club qualify for the Champions League for the first time in decades and subsequently reach the quarter-finals.

The squad has shown signs of stagnation, a situation no doubt hindered by PSR limitations and the need to stay compliant that drew the ire of frustrated fans all summer. In response, Villa have moved quickly to avoid leaving a gap at the top of the sporting hierarchy.

A later report from The Athletic named Roberto Olabe as the man lined up to succeed Monchi, saying Villa have hammered out a deal with the Spaniard known for his work with Real Sociedad. Olabe, 57, left the San Sebastian club at the end of last season.

Over the past seven years Olabe was involved in the buying and selling of players such as Alexander Isak, Martín Zubimendi and Mikel Merino, while Martin Ødegaard also passed through in a crucial period of his career. He is additionally credited with work overseeing sporting strategy at Independiente del Valle at a time when Moisés Caicedo, Piero Hincapié and others were produced by the Ecuadorian club.

Club officials are reported to be moving to implement the change quickly. For now, Aston Villa face the immediate challenge of reversing early-season results while the club’s sporting leadership is reconfigured.

Gameweek 5 arrives with little respite for clubs and a compact schedule that could reshape early-season narratives. Several clear storylines emerge, from late finishes and goal droughts to managerial pressure and assertions of title intent.

Liverpool’s habit of scoring decisive late goals has become a defining trait this term. All five of their matches in all competitions have featured decisive strikes from the 83rd minute onwards, and the Reds’ recent fixtures suggest another Merseyside derby at Goodison Park could again produce late drama. James Tarkowski’s 98th-minute equaliser last season and past late efforts by Gary McAllister, Sadio Mané and Divock Origi underline the fixture’s capacity for last-gasp moments.

Wolverhampton Wanderers remain the only Premier League side without a point and face newly-promoted Leeds United at Molineux in a match the Old Gold will view as a must-win. Jørgen Strand Larsen is expected to miss out again, leaving Wolves with the problem of replacing his goalscoring output, though home advantage offers hope of a first league point.

Tottenham Hotspur have started well under Thomas Frank, following three wins from four in the Premier League with an important Champions League victory over Villarreal. Their trip to Brighton will test Tottenham’s top-four credentials; last season Spurs lost both meetings with the Seagulls and have suffered four defeats in seven meetings.

Alejandro Garnacho is still being eased into life at Chelsea and is likely to feature in Chelsea’s trip to Manchester United, the club he left over the summer for £40 million. Garnacho “will be desperate to silence his former followers” if given the chance, though a hostile reception is expected at Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim, the United head coach, will be focused on a response after a subdued display against Manchester City and remains under pressure following a recent defeat to Chelsea.

Aston Villa head to Sunderland still searching for a Premier League goal after two goalless draws and two defeats. Harvey Elliott scored in the Carabao Cup midweek, but Villa must end their league drought. Finally, Arsenal host Manchester City, a fixture that carries title implications after Arsenal’s earlier criticism for a negative approach at Anfield and Dominik Szoboszlai’s fine free kick that punished them in Gameweek 3.