Aston Villa prepare to host unbeaten Manchester City

Aston Villa were preparing to host unbeaten Manchester City at Villa Park on Saturday, October 24, with the visitors seeking an eighth consecutive Premier League win and Villa facing several injury absences. The match was scheduled to kick off at 12:30 p.m. BST. Manchester City had won all seven of their opening league matches, according to pre-match reports, and held a three-point lead at the top of the table. Their pursuit of a perfect start came with uncertainty over several players’ availability. Antoine Semenyo was reported out with a knee injury for about eight weeks, with a return expected in December. Erling Haaland, who had been rested for the midweek Champions League match after taking a knock, was reported fit to play. Reports also said Mateo Kovacic, Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes had missed that Champions League game after fitness problems, but were improving. Another preview described City as having no absences and projected a full-strength lineup. Those projected selections were not confirmed team sheets, and the reports did not establish the final status of all the players in question. Villa were reported to be without Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who had sustained a...