Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes that Aston Villa will make life difficult for his side when the two teams clash on Saturday.
After an impressive start to the campaign, Villa have succumbed to successive 3-0 defeats, but Pellegrini has insisted that the West Midlands outfit will place constant pressure on his players.
The 61-year-old told reporters: "Aston Villa have special players, and the team puts us under pressure for 90 minutes so it will be difficult.
The Chilean was also quizzed on his team's defensive record, and he admitted that their backline needs to improve after keeping just two clean sheets in nine games this season.
"We must concentrate more on defending because we need a clean sheet," he said. "In the last three games, we have conceded five goals."
Pellegrini has declared that apart from midfielder Samir Nasri, he has a fully-fit squad to choose from in Birmingham.
