The official line-ups for the Premier League matchday 8 showdown are in: Iliman Ndiaye (Manchester City) and Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa) both start, while Ibrahim Mbaye begins on the bench.
The official line-ups for the Premier League matchday 8 showdown between Aston Villa and Manchester City, kicking off this Saturday at 11:30 GMT (12:30 local time) at Villa Park in Birmingham, were confirmed at 11:12 GMT, according to wiwsport. Two Senegalese strikers start: Iliman Ndiaye, named in the Citizens’ XI, and Nicolas Jackson, leading the line for the Villans. Young forward Ibrahim Mbaye also starts the game on the Aston Villa bench.
Ndiaye and Jackson start, Mbaye on the bench
Iliman Ndiaye, a Senegal international, starts in Manchester City’s XI, according to wiwsport. The trip to Birmingham is also marked by Erling Haaland’s return to the City squad, as reported by Sport News Africa.
At the other end, Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson leads the Aston Villa attack, the same source indicates. Young Ibrahim Mbaye, also Senegalese, will begin the match on the substitutes’ bench, wiwsport adds.
So two Senegalese strikers will face each other from the start in opposite shirts: Ndiaye for City, Jackson for Villa. Mbaye, for his part, waits his turn on the bench.
City top, Villa in the Champions League
Before this game, Manchester City sat top of the table with a perfect record of seven wins from seven matches and 21 points, according to Sport News Africa and Les Nouvelles du Foot. The club has therefore not lost a single league game this season.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, were 12th in the Premier League with 8 points from seven matchdays, according to Les Nouvelles du Foot. On the European stage, the Villans have won all three of their Champions League matches so far, wiwsport points out.
A result awaited at Villa Park
At the time the line-ups were published, 18 minutes before kick-off, the final result of this duel was not yet known. The match is being played this Saturday, 24 October 2026, at Villa Park.
For Manchester City, the next league fixture is a match against Brighton.