Early team news: Two major absentees as Phil Foden place confirmed for Manchester City against Aston Villa (Premier League)

Manchester City welcome Unai Emery’s Aston Villa to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night as they look to bounce back from the weekend’s stalemate.

In a contest billed as a mammoth Premier League title battle between two of the three challengers for the top-flight crown this season, Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta’s sides played out a relatively drab 0-0 draw to keep both clubs in their positions in the division.

Manchester City were ultimately unable to breakdown a stubborn Arsenal rearguard as the Gunners sat firm on a six-man defensive block, as the reigning Champions retained their position in third heading into a hectic April fixture list.

Aston Villa are City’s next opponents in the English top-flight and their first of eight contests across three competitions in the month of April, including an FA Cup semi-final and UEFA Champions League quarter-final double-header.

Supporters of Wednesday night’s hosts will recall the outcome of the reverse fixture, with many deeming Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park as being on of their poorest performances of the ongoing campaign.

Pep Guardiola and his players’ loss to Villa on December 6 was their last dropping of points in the Premier League, in an unbeaten run that has also spanned across all of their remaining competitions and keeps the club on track for a back-to-back Treble success.

Injury problems are beginning to mount for Manchester City however, with Pep Guardiola likely having to reshuffle and rethink his defensive options in particular, with Nathan Ake most recently succumbing to a muscular issue.

The Dutchman joins mainstay goalkeeper Ederson and club captain Kyle Walker in being sidelined for the visit of Aston Villa, while John Stones is poised to make a return to action following his injury scare during England’s 2-2 draw with Belgium during the international break.

Ahead of the official release of team news from the Etihad Stadium, sources on social media have began offering insights into the selection of Pep Guardiola, with the first details provided by FPLMaineRoad on X.

According to the reputable team news source, Phil Foden retains his place in the Manchester City side that will welcome Aston Villa to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night – however his role remains unknown.

However, revealing two absentees from Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up against Unai Emery’s side, FPLMaineRoad has confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland both do NOT start for the Premier League champions.

Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery are expected to release their official and respective Manchester City and Aston Villa starting line-ups from 19:15 (UK) on Wednesday night.

Now confirmed.