This is going to be a very tough match for Aston Villa. I think now it is going to be almost impossible for them to stay at the top of the table. At least at the top four positions for sure. Manchester City is definitely not going to drop points in this match because they have dropped points in the last two matches. And they will be very determined to get all three points from this match. But Aston Villa has to be careful. They cannot go too defensive or too offensive as well. It seems like all the options that they have are going to be pretty bad. I think they will have to go for a draw and somehow try to avoid a loss.
If Tottenham wins today's match and Aston Villa loses to Man City tomorrow, then the number of points Aston Villa and Tottenham will have the same. And yes, that will potentially make Aston Villa lose their position in the following week if they fail to win again the following week. So I agree that in tomorrow's match Aston Villa must at least try to get a point, even if it's only 1 point. But I think Man City as the host will not let the match end in a draw. Because currently Man City is also in a race to get to the top of the standings. If Man City does not get full points, Man City will be even further behind Arsenal and Liverpool.