I haven’t seen any evidence that the Manchester City team has turned up yet, but I guess I’d have heard about it if they hadn’t.
Terry: Yeah, but have you seen what they’ve got on their feet?
Take my sartorial advice at your absolute peril, but I’m really thrown by that footwear decision.
The teams!
The team sheets have been handed in, and these were the names upon them:
Aston Villa: Nyland, Guilbert, Engels, Mings, Targett, Nakamba, Douglas Luiz, Elmohamady, Grealish, El Ghazi, Samatta. Subs: Taylor, Lansbury, Hourihane, Konsa, Trezeguet, Reina, Davis.
Man City: Bravo, Walker, Stones, Fernandinho, Zinchenko, Gundogan, Rodri, Silva, Sterling, Aguero, Foden. Subs: Gabriel Jesus, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Mendy, Mahrez, Otamendi, Ederson.
Referee: Lee Mason.
Hello world!
It is nearly a quarter of a century since Aston Villa thumped Leeds United to win what was then known as the Coca-Cola Cup. It was their fifth League Cup, destined to squeeze into their trophy cabinet alongside their seven league titles, seven FA Cups and one European Cup. That season they finished fourth in the league while Manchester City were relegated on goal difference, after an infamous final-day 2-2 draw with Liverpool in which they timewasted towards the end in the mistaken belief that a point would see them safe. in 1996 City had two league titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups to their name. Judge it any way you like (except head-to-head results, to be fair – City only won nine games that season but two of them were against Villa), at that point in their history Villa were the better club.
Fast forward 24 years, time in which Villa haven’t won anything and City have won it all and on multiple occasions (domestically, at least), and everything has changed. City won the two league meetings this season by an aggregate score of 9-1, and Villa are the side fighting relegation. Villa have lost their last three; City have just beaten Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. You can get odds of 14-1 against a Villa win, while City are 1-6 if you’re lucky.
Anything could happen at Wembley today, but one outcome seems by a margin the most likely. Watford’s logic-defying 3-0 thumping of Liverpool last night might have given the underdogs some hope; Watford’s 6-0 thrashing by City in last season’s FA Cup final might have given them some nightmares. Does this Villa team have one massive upset in them? We’re about to find out.