Man City dealt double blow ahead of Aston Villa clash as Pep Guardiola makes 'struggling' admission

Manchester City will be without Jack Grealish and Rodri for Wednesday night's clash with Aston Villa as the pair both picked up their fifth yellow cards of the season in Sunday's 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

Rodri, who has already missed three domestic games this campaign through suspension following his straight red card against Nottingham Forest, was booked in the first half against Spurs for a foul while Grealish was cautioned after kicking the ball away.

There are further concerns for City, who also had Jeremy Doku forced off with injury against Spurs. It is unclear if the Belgian will be fit to face Villa. Unai Emery's side were held to a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on Sunday as Ollie Watkins headed home late on to rescue a point on the south coast.

City conceded late against Spurs as Dejan Kulusevski claimed an equaliser at the Etihad Stadium. After the game, Guardiola said: “It’s not the first time we have faced this situation where we are playing good but results don’t come. Always we find a solution but lately the results don’t come and we are struggling.”

The double suspension comes as a major boost for Villa, who are one of just two Premier League sides to boast a 100 per cent home record in the division this campaign. Emery's side have won all six of their home matches and only Liverpool can match that sort of return with seven home wins from seven games.

Villa's impressive run stretches back to last season with 13 consecutive home wins in the Premier League, as they beat Fulham 3-1 last month to equal their longest winning run since October 1983. It means victory over City would break the club record for most home wins in a row. Villa's start to the campaign is also the first time since 1932 they have claimed six victories from their opening six home league games in a season.