Only Tottenham Hotspur have prevented Haaland from scoring in the Premier League so far this season and the next side attempting to emulate that feat are Villa.
They are enjoying a resurgent run of Premier League results following a difficult start to this campaign, with three successive wins domestically – although a much-changed line-up were upset by Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League on Thursday.
Should Unai Emery’s side see off City, they will become just the second team in top-flight history to fail to win any of their opening five matches and then triumph in the subsequent four, after Preston in 1936.
Villa have won their past two home league games against City, their best run in this fixture at Villa Park since a sequence of five successive victories between 1960 and 1975 – but managing fatigue could be a factor following Thursday’s trip to the Netherlands.
Emery must rely on a squad effort to fight on multiple fronts and Emi Buendia has underlined the importance of making an impact from the bench in recent weeks.
The attacking midfielder’s winner at Tottenham last Sunday was his third goal in four matches – two of which have come as a substitute in the Premier League.
It continues a remarkable turnaround for Buendia – a £33m signing in June 2021 – in the West Midlands after missing the entirety of 2023-24 because of injury and spending the second half of last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
The 28-year-old started against Go Ahead Eagles in midweek, meaning he could return to a bench role on Sunday – a ploy that has worked well for Emery in recent weeks.
