Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne DROPPED for Manchester City Premier League clash with Aston Villa

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has dropped duo Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne for Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.

The treble-winners are looking to reignite their hopes of winning a fourth successive Premier League title on Wednesday evening, after back-to-back draws against both Liverpool and Arsenal saw Manchester City lose key ground in the title race.

Manchester City were held to a goalless draw against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with the result leaving the Sky Blues three points off the top of the Premier League table and two points behind the Gunners.

Aston Villa could move to within two points of Manchester City and take a giant step towards UEFA Champions League qualification with a win at the Etihad Stadium, with Unai Emery’s side the last team to beat Guardiola’s in any competition.

City are unbeaten across all competitions since a 1-0 loss at Villa Park in early December, when Leon Bailey’s deflected second-half effort secured three points for the home team.

Guardiola’s side had a formidable record against Villa prior to a defeat in the reverse fixture, but with the Blues’ title defence on the line, the 53-year-old has reportedly made two huge selection decisions ahead of Wednesday night’s clash.

According to the information of reputable X user ‘FPL Maine Road’, neither Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne start for Manchester City against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.

The pair both started Sunday’s goalless draw with Arsenal, but have been subject to recent fitness concerns, as De Bruyne missed international duty with Belgium due to a groin injury and Haaland left a Norway training session early due to an issue.

Haaland has scored only two goals in his past five Manchester City appearances, and has failed to score in any of the Blues’ past three games.

De Bruyne has made seven starts for Manchester City since returning from a five-month absence after undergoing hamstring surgery in August.

As well as Wednesday’s meeting with Villa, City travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon and face a crunch UEFA Champions League quarter-final first-leg clash with Real Madrid next Tuesday.