Remi Garde has inherited a bit of a mess at Villa Park. He has taken over for the departed Tim Sherwood and interim boss Kevin MacDonald, and he takes his seat in charge of Aston Villa with it sitting at the foot of the Premier League table. His first task? Figure out how to get a result from Manchester City, the club currently staring down at the rest of the teams in England.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Aston Villa +650
Manchester City -215
Draw +350
Over/Under 2.5 (over -130)
ODDS ANALYSIS
This is a task of the tallest order for Villa, and it's tough to see how it can get any result here. There's a reason why Man City is a -215 moneyline favorite and why it is giving a goal and a half on the Asian Handicap.
Thanks to the fact that the spread is so high, the total has to be a bit higher than normal in spite of Villa's lack of goal scoring promise. The number to beat is 2.5 with -130 vig on the over.
KEY INJURIES
If there's good news for Garde, it's that he's inheriting a relatively healthy team. Gabriel Agbonlahor picked up a calf injury last week again Tottenham, but it isn't considered a major issue.
City is still playing without Sergio Aguero, though Kun will be back in the lineup soon to bolster the Citizens' attack. Samir Nasri, David Silva and Pablo Zabaleta are all still big concerns as well. Silva is the only one of the three with any chance of playing this weekend.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"It's pretty simple, but sometimes we've not played to that game plan. We've been a little reckless. I think (Vincent Kompany) has said it a few times. We've been a little bit naïve and been caught out, but here we've been really solid. They've only had a couple chances, and we took ours." – Manchester City keeper Joe Hart on his team's recent defensive struggles being relieved by a win in the Champions League over Sevilla
RECENT FORM
And what a big win that was for the Citizens. They now have three victories in a row across all competitions, and they haven't been beaten in a match since getting trounced at Tottenham on September 26. Each of their last three games have gone past the total as well, and in two of the three, they've managed to crush the total on their own without any help.
It's easy to understand why Sherwood was sacked in spite of the fact that he pulled the Villains out of the fire last year to secure safety. Aston Villa has lost six consecutive matches across all competitions. The last time it got a point in the Premier League was on August 29, and the club's last win was in the opening match of the season against Bournemouth.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
City does have to be careful here, as this is a huge home match for Garde, and his tactics are going to end up being a bit surprising. He's a defensive-minded tactical coach and is likely to keep nine behind the ball at all times. That can be frustrating for a City team which, as Hart admitted, has been prone to some counterattacks at times when it has been too aggressive going forward.
Given the choice, we'd take our chance with the goal and a half on the Asian Handicap, as we just think Villa is going to show up a bit inspired in this one and put together a formidable defensive 90 minutes.
Manchester City 1, Aston Villa 0
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The fixture between Aston Villa and Manchester City is scheduled for Sunday, November 8, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. ET at Villa Park. The match will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
