Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is set to face his biggest task in charge of the club to date as they take on Manchester City in the Premier League.

The reigning champions of the division arrive at Villa Park off the back of five straight wins in all competitions, conceding three goals in that time.

Meanwhile, the Villans have won their last two top-flight games, against Brighton and Crystal Palace, and Gerrard is now looking to make it three in a row.

How many changes will he make to the team? Here is our predicted XI...

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Emi Buendia, Axel Tuanzebe and Anwar El Ghazi all coming in.

Given Manchester City's style of play and the likelihood of them dominating possession, 65.5% on average this season, Villa could switch up formations and utilise a 3-4-3 to be compact against the ball with the potential to hit them on the counter-attack by winning the ball in transition.

With the change in formation, a player will need to be dropped in order to facilitate another centre-back coming in to play alongside Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings. Marvelous Nakamba had the lowest SofaScore rating out of the three central midfielders against Palace, which could see the £34k-per-week gem axed for Tuanzebe to start in a back three.

The second change we are predicting is Emi Buendia in for Leon Bailey. FFC published an article explaining why his defensive qualities and a previous performance against Man City could potentially give Villa an edge in the game ahead of the Jamaican.

Buendia has one goal and one assist this season, but there could be more to come from him after his haul of 15 goals and 16 assists in the Championship last term. He is yet to show what he is truly capable of in the final third and tonight could be a great chance to show his quality against a top side.

Finally, Anwar El Ghazi could come in for Ashley Young. The veteran ex-Manchester United man could be offered a rest in order for the Dutchman to be given a start. He could offer more of a goal threat in the final third, with 11 Premier League goals since the start of last season, with Young then being an experienced option to bring off the bench.

AND in other news, Gerrard could surprise Pep by unleashing £75k-p/w AVFC gem who is a "joy to work with"...