Aston Villa and Manchester City finished near neighbours last season -- 4th and 2nd of 20 -- so rank alone splits nothing here. Against the block the other keeps: Aston Villa takes 1.73 points a game, Manchester City 2.00 -- nothing between them.
Aston Villa: 45 league matches in the bank, 7 from this season and the rest from last season. Manchester City: 45 league matches in the bank, 7 from this season and the rest from last season.
The question this step asks
Step one is THE TABLE: rank against rank, and the blocks -- the table cut into a top, middle and bottom block, drawn from last season's final standings. The question is not just where each side stands but how it behaves against the company the other keeps: does it play to rank against the blocks above and below, or come apart?
The two sides
Aston Villa -- at home
Where it stands
Stands 11th of 20 after 7 games, with 8 points. Last season it finished 4th of 20 in this division.
Its block
By last season's final table it sits in the top block (1st to 6th). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 7 games old.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side from the top block (1st to 6th). Against that block it has won 6, drew 1, lost 4 of 11 -- 19 points of 33. At home against them: won 5 of 6. Away against them: won 1 of 5.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 6, drew 1, lost 4 of 11 (1.73 a game); against the middle block won 7, drew 4, lost 6 of 17 (1.47 a game); against the bottom block won 8, drew 4, lost 4 of 16 (1.75 a game); against sides new to the division won 0, drew 1, lost 0 of 1 (1.00 a game).
Manchester City -- away
Where it stands
Stands 1st of 20 after 7 games, with 21 points. Last season it finished 2nd of 20 in this division.
Its block
By last season's final table it sits in the top block (1st to 6th). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 7 games old.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side from the top block (1st to 6th). Against that block it has won 8, drew 2, lost 3 of 13 -- 26 points of 39. At home against them: won 5 of 6. Away against them: won 3 of 7.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 8, drew 2, lost 3 of 13 (2.00 a game); against the middle block won 9, drew 4, lost 2 of 15 (2.07 a game); against the bottom block won 11, drew 3, lost 1 of 15 (2.40 a game); against sides new to the division won 2, drew 0, lost 0 of 2 (3.00 a game).
Built 03:24 from matches completed before
kick-off. Every figure is an observed count with its denominator —
not a forecast, and nothing here is a tip or a selection.