Aston Villa vs Manchester United

February 11, 2024

Aston Villa take on Manchester United at Villa Park in Sunday's late Premier League kick-off.

The Red Devils completed a remarkable comeback against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Boxing Day. The Villans took a 2-0 lead at the break and it looked like they would inflict more misery on Erik ten Hag's side, who were on a four-game winless run back then, but United drastically raised their game in the second half to secure a 3-2 win.

Aston Villa Betting Preview (+120 at Everygame)

Given the importance of the game for Aston Villa’s European hopes, The Birmingham outfit have a brilliant opportunity to cement the possibility of finishing in the top five as they can move a whopping 11 points clear of Manchester United with a victory this weekend. The pressure is on, however, as the gap could fall to five points only if defeat is inflicted by the Red Devils.

Meanwhile, Unai Emery's side suffered a disappointing FA Cup exit at the hands of Chelsea in midweek, when they lost the replay of their fourth round tie 3-1 at Villa Park (after a goalless first leg at Stamford Bridge last month).

It was their second home defeat in less than 10 days only - as Villa have lost only one of their previous 22 matches at Villa Park in all competitions (winning 20 of them). Now, The Villans will be keen to avoid losing three home games in a row for the first time since November 2020.

In fact, the visit of Manchester United will bring back happy memories of Unai Emery's first game in charge at Villa - a 3-1 home victory over Manchester United on 6 November 2022. It was the club's first home Premier League win against the Red Devils since August 1995.

Moussa Diaby will be pushing for a start on Sunday. The French international was only introduced as a second-half substitute against Chelsea in midweek but his late strike was nothing more than a consolation goal for Aston Villa.

Pau Torres' condition is a major talking point ahead of this clash as the Spain international is back after a couple of weeks on the sidelines due to an ankle injury. The defender returned to the bench against Chelsea on Wednesday evening but didn't feature, so it's tricky to figure out whether he's fully fit to start or not.

Leon Bailey will pose one of the biggest threats to Manchester United as the Jamaican finds himself in excellent form and he's set to be rewarded with a new contract soon.

But the biggest threat will arguably come from Ollie Watkins. The England forward has been absolutely on fire this season, contributing 11 goals and 19 assists in 23 Premier League matches this term.

Ezri Konsa and Jhon Duran remain sidelined for Villa, alongside long-term absentees Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendía.

Manchester United Betting Preview (+200 at Everygame)

The Red Devils produced one of their best performances of the campaign in the second half of their 3-0 victory over West Ham United last weekend.

Manchester United appear on the up after enduring a turbulent first half of the season, including a disappointing Champions League exit, and they would move to within five points of their opponents with another victory at Villa Park.

Furthermore, Erik ten Hag's side are now bidding to win three consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since November.

Their long-standing troubles away from Old Trafford are well documented, but The Red Devils are now on a run of three successive away wins across all competitions, and extending that number to four would be their best streak since October 2020.

Rasmus Hojlund is set to lead the line at Villa Park. The Danish forward scored his first Premier League goal when he bagged the winner against Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

Hojlund had scored in four consecutive matches in all competitions and will be looking to add to his tally against Aston Villa this weekend. He also opened the scoring against West Ham United last time out - on his 21^st birthday.

Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez suffered another injury setback as he has been ruled out for up to two months. Thus, Harry Maguire is set to partner Raphael Varane at centre-back, while we highly doubt that Ten Hag plans wholesale changes to his side.

Elsewhere, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount and Anthony Martial are all sidelined for Manchester United, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a major doubt for the trip to Birmingham.

Possible Starting Lineups of Aston Villa and Manchester United

Aston Villa: Emiliano Martínez - Matty Cash, Diego Carlos, Clement Lenglet, Alex Moreno - Leon Bailey, Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn - Ollie Watkins, Moussa Diaby. (4-4-2)

Manchester United: Andre Onana - Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Raphaël Varane, Diogo Dalot - Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo - Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho - Rasmus Hojlund. (4-2-3-1)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

With just one victory in their last five matches (1-2-2) across all competitions - a 5-0 win at Sheffield United last weekend - Aston Villa are still considered as favorites thanks to their strong form at Villa Park earlier in the season, including back-to-back 1-0 victories over Manchester City and Arsenal in December.

Yet, Villa have now won only one of their last four home matches - a last-gasp 3-2 win over struggling Burnley, while they also avoided an absolute fiasco when Nicolo Zaniolo's stoppage-time equalizer rescued a point for a 1-1 draw against rock-bottom Sheffield United right before Christmas.

The Red Devils will be looking to exploit Aston Villa's inconsistency over the past two months and should they replicate the same type of football as in the second-half of their comeback win at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture, Erik ten Hag's men should take something from Villa Park.

Spooky Express Free Play: Outcome And Totals: X2 and Over 2.5 Goals +180 at Everygame for 4/10 Units

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