Premier League Confirms Match Officials for Villa vs City

October 23, 2025 — Birmingham, England: The Premier League has announced that Michael Oliver will referee Aston Villa’s clash with Manchester City at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola’s side enter the fixture unbeaten in their last nine matches across all competitions, having recently secured key victories over Manchester United, Brentford, Napoli, and Villarreal, and a draw against Arsenal.

For Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, the form has also been encouraging. The Birmingham club sits 11th in the Premier League table, unbeaten in six straight matches in all competitions. Their most recent league outing saw them claim an impressive 2–1 away win at Tottenham Hotspur.

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Michael Oliver to Lead the Match

The 40-year-old referee is among the league’s most experienced officials. This season, Oliver has already officiated 12 matches, issuing 37 yellow cards, one second-yellow dismissal, and awarding one penalty.

Manchester City are a familiar team for the Northumberland-born referee — he has taken charge of 61 of their matches throughout his career, during which City recorded 45 wins, six draws, and 10 defeats. Oliver has also awarded the club 11 penalties in that span.

The last time Oliver officiated a Manchester City game was their 2–0 FA Cup semi-final win over Nottingham Forest, with goals from Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol.

City fans will also recall the last time Oliver took charge of a meeting between these two sides: the 2021/22 Premier League finale, when Ilkay Gündogan’s late brace completed a dramatic comeback to secure the title.

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Supporting Match Officials

• Assistant Referees: Stuart Burt and Ian Hussin
• Fourth Official: Robert Jones
• Video Assistant Referee (VAR): John Brooks
• Assistant VAR: Nicholas Hopton

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Key Storylines Ahead of Kickoff

City will be aiming to extend their unbeaten streak to 10 matches, while Villa look to continue their steady climb up the table. With both sides in strong form, Oliver and his officiating team will have their hands full overseeing what promises to be a high-intensity encounter at Villa Park.