What a big test Manchester City face in their first Premier League game of the season. Martin O’Neill achieved sixth place for Aston Villa last season and proved that his slow and careful squad building, based around hard-working English players, is paying off. Holding on to Gareth Barry to date will also be a boost to the rest of the team, even though the saga seems set to continue.

We can only look on with envy at an owner who keeps himself to himself most of the time and seems to have footballing interests at heart (Randy Lerner: A Case Study on Foreign Ownership, Footballing World, Nov 2007). City are already craving the stability he has brought to Villa with the Eastlands soap opera rolling on.

City go into the match having avoided defeat on their last six league and cup visits to Villa Park but there is much to be concerned about, starting with the lack of fitness. How City's fitness and match sharpness compares to Villa will be key to this game. And more so than in defence.

With Richard Dunne suspended, Tal Ben-Haim and Micah Richards will have to be well-enough versed with each other to cope with the pace Villa have up front. Luke Young, making his debut for Villa, may keep Vedran Corluka pinned back, which leaves probably left-back Michael Ball and Martin Petrov as City's most likely source of success out wide.

The remaining question for City is whether to start with both Daniel Sturridge and Valery Bojinov up front, or alternatively to leave Bojinov up on his own with Elano playing in behind. Given the lack of striking replacements if things go wrong, Danny at ‘Bitter and Blue’ is likely right that it seems more likely Mark Hughes will opt for safety first and keep Sturridge on the bench.  Sturridge is currently the subject of speculation of a bid from Chelsea, long-time admirers of the hot prospect.

Hughes will be expecting City to fight back from the defeat on Thursday night and try to use the current media onslaught as the basis for a siege mentality. How the players approach this game, and how the manager’s body language plays out throughout the match, will be a strong indicator of City's potential performance this season.