Aston Villa will be bidding to end a 62-year streak when they face Manchester City in the Premier League on Tuesday night.
Unai Emery takes his side to the Etihad Stadium with the club sitting in seventh position in the standings, trailing their fifth-placed hosts by just the one point.
Although Villa were able to thrash Newcastle United, another rival for Champions League qualification, on Saturday night, the other teams around them won their respective games.
As a result, the showdown with the defending Premier League champions may prove to be a pivotal game in both side's campaign as they bid to extend their stays at European football's top table.
However, it is fair to say that, from an historical perspective at least, Villa are major underdogs heading into this encounter.
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What streak is on the line?
Back in December, Villa produced one of their most complete performances of the season to record a 2-1 victory over City in the West Midlands, with the visitors netting with a late consolation goal to make the scoreline look more respectable.
Should Villa find a way to prevail on Tuesday night, it would represent the first time since 1962-63 that they have completed a league double over Man City.
Such has been City's dominance over Villa at the Etihad Stadium that they have won their last 14 Premier League home fixtures against their upcoming opponents.
Incredibly, City have also netted at least twice in the most recent 13 such matches and have only trailed on two occasions.
Furthermore, Pep Guardiola's team have also won their last nine Premier League home contests in April, scoring a remarkable 35 goals.
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Any reason for optimism for Villa?
Despite those bleak statistics, Villa make the trip to Manchester having won 10 of their last 11 games in all competitions, only losing away to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Villa will also be bidding to record a Premier League club record. While they have won their most recent five games in the top flight, they have never emerged victorious from six Premier League fixtures in a row.
Meanwhile, Villa can also win four away top-flight fixtures consecutively for the first time since 2008-09; a win and clean sheet would also mark a club record.
Although Emery's squad rotation has contributed, Villa have netted 11 times through substitutes in the Premier League during 2024-25.
Darren Plant
