Before making the trip to the Etihad, Aston Villa still had a Europa League group stage fixture to navigate.
However, given the absolute gulf in class against their Slovakian opponents, Dean Smith pragmatically decided to leave his heavy hitters at home.
Theodore wasn't even named in the traveling squad for the clash against Slovan Bratislava.
Despite fielding a heavily rotated reserve side, Bratislava offered virtually zero resistance.
Villa comfortably cruised to a routine 3-0 victory on the road.
The win pushed Villa to a flawless nine points in their group.
Barring an absolute catastrophe, one more victory would officially guarantee their ticket to the knockout stages with two games to spare.
Upon returning to Bodymoor Heath, the squad immediately dumped Europe out of their minds.
Every ounce of their focus shifted to the impending, colossal showdown in Manchester.
Aston Villa had famously knocked Manchester City out of the FA Cup semi-final the previous season, but taking on the reigning Premier League champions in their own backyard was a different beast entirely.
Furthermore, Pep Guardiola hadn't fielded his absolute strongest eleven in that cup tie, opting to prioritize their title race and Champions League ambitions.
Now, the landscape had shifted.
Aston Villa and Manchester City were locked in a dead heat, direct rivals for the Premier League summit.
Guardiola's men would undoubtedly be out for blood, desperate to exact revenge and knock the noisy promoted side off their perch.
In the build-up to the clash, the English press went into absolute overdrive, milking the narrative for all it was worth.
Sky Sports: "First vs. Second! Can the Aston Villa miracle survive the Etihad? Guardiola's Centurions are out for revenge in Saturday's ultimate blockbuster!"
The Guardian: "Forget the league table—this is the ultimate playmaker showdown. Theodore Bjorn vs. Kevin De Bruyne. The 17-year-old prodigy sits on 15 assists, while De Bruyne trails him with 10. The master meets the apprentice!"
Daily Mail: "Villa's Invincible Run Faces the Ultimate Test! Pep is determined to reclaim the throne. Buckle up for the most thrilling clash of the season!"
The Times: "A Clash of Titans in Manchester! City will unleash their strongest possible eleven against the promoted side. Expect fireworks."
During the mandatory pre-match press conference, Guardiola exuded an aura of ruthless confidence.
"What Aston Villa is doing is a miracle, truly," Pep told the packed media room. "To be the only team with a perfect winning record is a massive achievement. Yes, we lost to them in the cup last season. But tomorrow night, I believe my players will put things right. We have a fully fit squad, and I will deploy our absolute strongest lineup."
Guardiola leaned into the microphone, his eyes dead serious. "Our objectives are clear: win the Premier League and win the Champions League. To do that, we have to take all three points tomorrow."
Shortly after, City's midfield maestro, Kevin De Bruyne, echoed his manager's sentiment.
"We are totally prepared for war," the Belgian stated calmly. "This is the Etihad, and we protect our home. Villa has incredible talent—especially the teenager, Theodore Bjorn—but I am confident we won't give him the space to breathe tomorrow night."
When it was Aston Villa's turn, Dean Smith and his newly fit captain, Jack Grealish, took the stage.
Relayed the comments from the City camp, Smith refused to engage in the trash talk.
He played it incredibly humble, almost deferential.
"Pep Guardiola is, without a doubt, the most outstanding manager in world football," Smith said smoothly.
"Barcelona, Bayern, City—his success speaks for itself. Going to the Etihad and getting a result is one of the hardest things in sports. They are the champions, and they are lethal at home."
"Honestly, we will give absolutely everything just to scrap for a draw," Smith concluded, adopting a perfectly subdued, pragmatic demeanor.
Jack Grealish, however, didn't get the memo.
"Man City isn't as scary as everyone makes them out to be," Grealish fired back, a cocky smirk plastered on his face.
"We beat them last year. Pep Guardiola isn't a god, and his team isn't invincible. My boys are going to fight them tooth and nail. We aren't scared."
...
The following evening.
Heavy, bruised clouds blanketed Manchester, threatening a torrential downpour.
But the grim weather couldn't dampen the sheer electricity crackling around the Etihad Stadium.
By early evening, the fifty-thousand-seater arena was packed to the rafters, the home support roaring "Blue Moon" at the top of their lungs.
Deep inside the away dressing room, Theodore's phone vibrated relentlessly.
He had dozens of unread texts.
Reba, and even Princess Ingrid Alexandra had sent him good luck messages from across the globe.
Theodore glanced at the screen but didn't bother replying.
Talk was cheap. Winning tonight would be the only response that mattered.
By 7:30 PM, the starting elevens filed into the tunnel.
Despite the massive stakes and the media hype, the atmosphere between the players was surprisingly warm.
Grealish, backing up his cocky press conference, was casually joking around with Raheem Sterling and John Stones.
Theodore stood quietly.
As he adjusted his shin pads, Kevin De Bruyne stepped across the divide, offering a hand.
"Hey, Theo," De Bruyne greeted him with a respectful nod. "You guys have been flying. Let's put on a show tonight."
Theodore shook his hand firmly. "It'll be a thriller, Kevin. But Villa is taking the points."
De Bruyne didn't argue.
He just raised a pale eyebrow, a competitive glint in his eye.
"We'll see about that, won't we?"
...
Up in the Sky Sports gantry, Peter Drury's iconic voice welcomed millions of viewers worldwide.
"Welcome, football fans, to the pinnacle of the Premier League! Matchday 10 brings us a genuine clash of titans as Aston Villa look to conquer Manchester City at the Etihad!"
"Villa sit at the summit with a flawless 27 points. City are breathing right down their necks with 25. The stakes could not be higher."
"Let's look at the lineups," Gary Neville took over. "Pep Guardiola deploys his devastating 4-3-3. Ederson in goal. A backline of João Cancelo, John Stones, Fernandinho, and Benjamin Mendy. The midfield three is pure silk: De Bruyne, İlkay Gündoğan, and David Silva."
"Up front, Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling flank Gabriel Jesus. And just look at that City bench, Peter: Agüero, Walker, Mahrez, Otamendi, Rodri, Sané. Frightening depth."
"Dean Smith sticks to his guns with a 4-1-4-1," Drury continued. "Tom Heaton in goal. Targett, Mings, Engels, and Guilbert at the back. Marvelous Nakamba anchors the midfield."
"Ahead of him, it's Grealish, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, and the teenage sensation, Theodore Bjorn. Wesley leads the line."
The referee blew the whistle, and the Etihad roared as City kicked off!
Gabriel Jesus rolled the ball back to Gündoğan, who didn't rush.
He casually knocked it out wide to David Silva.
The moment the Spaniard took a touch, City flipped a switch. The attack went from zero to a hundred in a heartbeat.
Sterling exploded down the left wing, completely burning Frédéric Guilbert for pure pace.
David Silva didn't even look, he just slipped a laser-guided through ball directly into Sterling's path.
Two seconds into the attack, Guilbert was already eating dust, unable to even get close enough for a cynical foul.
Thud!
Hitting the byline, Sterling whipped a rapid cross across the face of the goal.
Gabriel Jesus launched himself at the delivery, but Tyrone Mings read the danger brilliantly.
The towering Villa center-back used his massive frame to bully the Brazilian and power a clearing header away.
"Sterling's decision-making there was poor," Gary Neville criticized immediately on the broadcast.
"He absolutely cooked Guilbert. He should have driven straight into the box and tested Heaton rather than crossing blindly. That's not the City way."
A minute later, the hosts came knocking again.
This time, De Bruyne took the wheel.
Receiving the ball on the right, De Bruyne was closed down by Douglas Luiz.
Without breaking stride, the Belgian dropped his shoulder and executed a filthy, humiliating nutmeg, leaving Luiz grasping at thin air.
De Bruyne hit the accelerator, driving menacingly toward the Villa box.
Instantly, Theodore and McGinn collapsed on him, executing a brutal double-team to shut down the middle.
Sensing the trap, De Bruyne didn't force it. He casually rolled the ball out wide to Bernardo Silva.
Bernardo took one touch, squared up Matt Targett, and violently chopped the ball inside with his dazzling footwork.
Targett's ankles practically shattered as Bernardo drove to the byline and cut a perfectly weighted, disguised pass backward into the box.
Chaos erupted. Mings stepped out to block Bernardo, leaving the penalty spot totally exposed.
İlkay Gündoğan was waiting.
The German didn't even bother taking a touch.
He opened his hips and unleashed a ferocious, first-time strike.
Boom!
The ball kissed the inside of the post and ripped into the net, leaving Tom Heaton absolutely helpless.
1-0.
"GÜNDOĞAN!" Drury roared, the noise in the stadium threatening to blow the roof off the gantry.
"Less than five minutes on the clock, and Manchester City have their dream start! A devastating, surgical passing move!"
"Aston Villa have been sliced wide open," Neville added, shaking his head. "City are playing on a completely different planet right now."
The Etihad was rocking, fifty thousand fans screaming Gündoğan's name in pure euphoria.
The pressure instantly suffocated the Villa players.
They hadn't even defended poorly, City's movement was just violently fast and impossibly precise.
Dean Smith screamed from the touchline, begging his men to keep their shape.
The game plan was to survive the onslaught and hit them on the break, but against a defense boasting City's caliber, carving out chances felt like moving mountains.
Eighth minute.
McGinn scrapped for a loose ball and pinged it out to Theodore on the right flank.
Instantly, Gündoğan and David Silva swarmed him.
Guardiola wasn't taking any chances; he had explicitly ordered a double-team the second the teenager touched the ball.
Trapped against the touchline, Theodore didn't try to be a hero.
He knew losing the ball here meant a lethal City counter and a 2-0 deficit. He quickly whipped an early, hopeful cross into the box.
Wesley launched his 191cm frame into the air, but he was sandwiched between Fernandinho and Stones.
The veteran Brazilian defensive midfielder easily out-jumped the Villa striker, powering a header clear.
The clearance looped out toward the right wing.
By pure coincidence, it dropped right back out of the sky, landing perfectly at Theodore Bjorn's feet!
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