Aston Villa confirm fitness status of their squad for Man City fixture after Covid-19 outbreak

straight to your inboxLiverpool must beat Manchester City on Sunday if they want to retain their Premier League title this season, according to Danny Murphy.The Reds go into tomorrow’s 16.30 kick-off seven points adrift of City, who also have a game in hand, following their 1-0 defeat by Brighton on Wednesday.Jurgen Klopp’s side appeared to have hit form with back-to-back 3-1 wins over Tottenham and West Ham breaking their five-match winless streak in the Premier League.However, Brighton’s

straight to your inboxLiverpool should strongly consider adopting a more defensive approach when they take on Manchester City on Sunday. That is according to Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson, who believes the defending champions must be pragmatic when welcoming Pep Guardiola's side to Anfield.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola believes there is "a lot" of room for improvement in this Manchester City team despite them sitting clear at the top of the Premier League table. A comfortable 2-0 win over Burnley thanks to first-half goals from Raheem Sterling and Ilkay Gundogan leaves the Blues three points ahead of nearest rivals United with a game in hand and continued their superb winning streak that now sits at nine in the league and 13 in all competitions.

straight to your inboxJose Mourinho says he expects Harry Kane to be available for Tottenham's Premier League trip to Manchester City next week.City face Burnley on Wednesday night, before travelling to Anfield to face Liverpool in a crucial fixture in the title race. After a midweek trip to Swansea in the FA Cup, City then host Spurs next weekend in another tricky fixture against an opponent they have struggled against in recent years.

straight to your inboxGabriel Jesus says he is still feeling the effects of his period out with Covid-19 as he gave an honest assessment of his form this season.Jesus was frustrated throughout Manchester City's FA Cup win at Cheltenham, missing one glorious chance in particular, but he controlled a forward Fernandinho ball perfectly to fire home and put the Blues ahead late on and spare a high-profile cup upset.

direct to your inboxAn ever-changing Premier League title race has taken another twist as Manchester City talisman Kevin De Bruyne has been ruled out for the next month.City have gone from eight points behind Liverpool before Christmas to four ahead of the Champions with a game in hand and two behind Manchester United.

straight to your inboxManchester City are back in Premier League action on Wednesday evening as they take on Aston Villa.Pep Guardiola's men face Dean Smith's side at the Etihad Stadium, kicking off at 6pm, as they look to continue their impressive form.City are unbeaten in nine league matches and have won five in a row.They have also kept seven clean sheets in their previous nine outings.Sunday's 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace took them to within reaching distance of Manchester United, with a

straight to your inboxBrighton will be without five key men when they take on Manchester City at the Etihad this week. After playing 120 minutes on Sunday in the FA Cup away on a poor pitch at League Two side Newport, Brighton next travel to City on Wednesday in the Premier League.However, they will have to do without four injured players who would have likely been in line to start in Graham Potter's strongest starting XI.

straight to your inbox Ferran Torres says he is happy to be back in Manchester City training after recovering from Covid-19 along with Ederson and Tommy Doyle. The trio tested positive ahead of City's postponed Premier League trip to Everton over Christmas, causing that game to be called off and others to be put in doubt.

straight to your inboxAston Villa have shut their first team training centre after a number of players returned positive Covid-19 tests.Villa's last fixture was the 2-1 defeat at Manchester United and they are set to face Manchester City two weeks. Their first positive tests were returned on Monday, three days after facing United.

straight to your inboxKyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero will all have to be assessed in training before Pep Guardiola will decide when he can turn to his players again. Manchester City progressed to the Carabao Cup final for a fourth year in a row by beating neighbours United at Old Trafford with goals from John Stones and Fernandinho in a 2-0 win.

direct to your inbox Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed Manchester United have a 'very strong squad' available for their semi-final clash against Man City in the Carabao Cup.

straight to your inbox every day for freeAndy Cole has hailed four Manchester United players following the 2-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.The former United striker was on punditry duties for Sky Sports during the clash and heaped praise on the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial after the contest.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men moved up to second in the Premier League level on points with Liverpool thanks to goals from Martial and Fernandes, who

straight to your inbox every day for freePaul Pogba has been accused of telling team-mate Luke Shaw to dive during Manchester United's Premier League victory over Aston Villa. Pogba played a key role as United beat Villa 2-1 at Old Trafford on New Year's Day, winning the penalty that Bruno Fernandes converted to clinch the points.

straight to your inbox every day for freeSky Sports pundits Andy Cole and Darren Bent agree that Manchester United deserved to win the key penalty in the win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

straight to your inbox every day for free Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has slammed the decision to award Manchester United a second-half penalty in their win on New Year's Day. United moved level on points with Liverpool in the Premier League after a hard-fought 2-1 win at Old Trafford.

straight to your inbox every day for freeManchester United moved joint-top of the Premier League table after beating Aston Villa 2-1 at Old Trafford on Friday night.Bruno Fernandes ' second-half penalty made the difference after Paul Pogba was fouled in the area shortly after Villa pulled level. The victory puts United level with Liverpool for at least 72 hours after joining the reigning champions on 33 points ahead of the two sides meeting at Anfield on January 17.

straight to your inbox every day for freeOle Gunnar Solskjaer was 'delighted' with Paul Pogba's performance in Manchester United's vital Premier League win over Aston Villa.Solskjaer retained Pogba, 27, in his side and recalled fellow midfielders Scott McTominay and Fred, pushing Pogba to the left flank in a 4-2-3-1 formation.Pogba flourished in arguably his standout performance of the season but he is angling for a move away from United in the summer transfer window.Despite Pogba supporting his