Good evening and welcome to LIVE coverage of Manchester City versus Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium. Manuel Pellegrini's side can go two points clear at the top with a victory. A draw would move them level with Liverpool but their superior goal difference would mean they would only really need to better or match the Reds' result on the last day to be crowned champions. A shock defeat would hand the initiative back to Brendan Rodgers' men.

KICK OFF! Villa get us underway.

STAT: City have recorded more Premier League wins (18) against Villa than against any other team, but a note of caution for the hosts; Villa are gunning for an unlikely double after coming from behind to win the reverse fixture 3-2 in September.

QUICK NATTER: Kolarov is in for Clichy tonight and he was happy to offer his pre-match thoughts to City's club media.

STATS: Villa have won their last three league matches on a Wednesday. However.... Manchester City have won 10 of their last 11 home games against Aston Villa in the Barclays Premier League (Lost one, but won six on the spin).

Elsewhere tonight, Sunderland host West Brom with the Black Cats aiming to complete their 'miracle' recovery having previously looked doomed to the drop. A draw would effectively relegate Norwich who would need results to go their way and an amazing swing in goal difference on the final day to somehow survive.

Paul Lambert: "We're not going there just to make up the numbers, we're going there to try to win. You have to run a lot and run without the ball. We're going to have to work really hard without the ball but you also know you've got to try to win the game and that's what we're going to try and do. We'll go there now in a lot better place than we were before the Hull game."

Manuel Pellegrini: "We prepare exactly the same as we prepare for all the games during the year. We know the next game is the most important game. We are not going to win the Premier League if we win this one. We must get a win and then we will see what happens on Sunday. All the teams are under pressure but if we play at home as we did so far, I hope we can win the game. I really don't know what Brendan (Rodgers) said. I only know we have two games and we have to win the game against Villa."

Villa have arrived and are hoping to pull off a surprise victory which would create another twist in the title race.

HOPE FOR LIVERPOOL? Only Chelsea (16 points) have a better record than Aston Villa (10 points) against the current top four in the Premier League this season (W3, D1).

Today's match odds... The bookies rarely get it wrong when they back a team so strongly. Not great reading for Villa, or indeed, Liverpool fans: Man City 1/6, Draw 9/1, Aston Villa 45/2

No Aguero for City, but the recent stats suggest they will be okay without him.

Two changes for City with David Silva returning in place of the injured Sergio Aguero and Aleksandar Kolarov replacing Gael Clichy at left back. Yaya Toure is fit to start after being substituted as a precaution at Everton. As for Villa, they too make a couple of changes. Jordan Bowery takes the place of the injured Gabby Agbonlahor while Karim El Ahmadi is in for Marc Albrighton.

TEAMS - MAN CITY: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov, Garcia, Toure, Milner, Silva, Nasri, Dzeko... Subs: Pantilimon, Lescott, Richards, Clichy, Fernandinho, Negredo, Jovetic. /// ASTON VILLA: Guzan, Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Baker, Bertrand, Westwood, Delph, El Ahmadi, Weimann, Bowery... Subs: Steer, Bacuna, Sylla, Holt, Robinson, Grealish, Tonev.