City Chases History Against Aston Villa

After making his mark in the history of the English Premier League and becoming the first manager to guide his team to victory in their first seven matches as head coach of a single club in the Premier League, Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca is looking to extend this record.

City hope to continue their perfect start to the season when they travel to face Aston Villa on Saturday in Matchday 8. The Sky Blues currently sit top of the table alone on 21 points, having achieved a perfect record so far, and hold a three-point lead over their closest rival, Arsenal, the defending champions.

Maresca set his record after a 3-2 away win against Ipswich Town in the previous round, surpassing his predecessor at City, Spanish manager Josep Guardiola, as well as Italian Carlo Ancelotti and Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who each secured six wins at the start of their tenures with their respective Premier League clubs.

All eyes will be on City player Phil Foden, who scored a hat-trick during the team’s emphatic 5-1 victory over Greek side AEK Athens in the UEFA Champions League, with Maresca choosing to keep star striker Erling Haaland on the bench to give him some rest.

City’s task will not be easy in overcoming the hurdle posed by Aston Villa, who sit 12th with 12 points. The Villans are steadily recovering from a shaky start to the current season, having avoided defeat in their last three league matches, which yielded two wins and a draw, the most recent being a 1-0 home victory over Newcastle United in the previous round.

In the last six league meetings between the two clubs, Aston Villa have won four times, compared to two victories for City, highlighting the difficulty that awaits Maresca’s side.

The title holders, who drew 2-2 with German hosts Bayern Munich in the Champions League, aim to continue their pursuit of City in the early stages of the race for the top spot.

Attention will also be focused on the heated London derby between Chelsea and their visitors Tottenham Hotspur, as both teams target the three points following strong performances in the previous round.

Chelsea secured their second consecutive win against Everton, preceded by a dominant 5-1 victory over visitors Bournemouth, moving them to 13 points in fourth place. Meanwhile, Tottenham enter the match buoyed by their first win of the season, a 3-1 victory over Coventry, which lifted them from the bottom of the table to 16th place with six points.