Aston Villa v Man Utd – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Aston Villa host Man Utd at Villa Park on Sunday. Unai Emery’s team have been inconsistent of late with two home losses in a row. The Red Devils have scored 19 goals in their last seven matches. They beat Villa 3-2 at Old Trafford in late December and have lost only once at Villa Park since 1995.

Aston Villa Form

Aston Villa are very up and down of late. They have won just once in five matches and have lost two home fixtures in a row. After losing 3-2 from 2-0 up at Man Utd, they beat Burnley 3-2 at home and won 1-0 at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. Successive 0-0 draws followed, at Everton (EPL) and at Chelsea (FAC).

After a surprise 3-1 home loss to Newcastle, they went to Sheffield United and dismantled the Blades 5-0 with six ‘big chances’ created. On Wednesday, they were thoroughly outplayed in a 3-1 home loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup. Villa’s goal was a late consolation strike.

Aston Villa Team News

Unai Emery is missing Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings due to long-term injuries and knee surgery. Lucas Digne is nearing a return from a thigh injury, but Jhon Duran is out.

Ezri Konsa was injured in midweek and he missed this match. Pau Torres may replace him centrally and partner Diego Carlos with Matty Cash at right back. Nicolo Zaniolo is available after a knock.

Aston Villa Motivation

Aston Villa seems to have lost some confidence. They will play to beat Man Utd in this one and look to get back to winning ways at home.

It could be a more circumspect approach as a draw is not a bad result in the race for the top four.

Man Utd Form

Over a long period, Man Utd have not been doing well. It’s just 12 wins in 27 fixtures in all competitions. A 3-2 home win over Aston Villa in December saw a fine comeback from 2-0 down. They then lost 2-1 at Nottingham Forest before a win vs lower league opposition, 2-0 at Wigan in the FA Cup.

A 2-2 home draw vs Tottenham preceded a 4-2 Cup win at Newport Town. United have won successive league matches since that, scoring very late to win 4-3 at Wolves. Last time out, they beat West Ham 3-0 at home despite just 0.75 xG created.

Man Utd Team News

Erik Ten Hag has lost Lisandro Martinez to a knee injury for two months. Two of Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans, and Raphael Varane are set to play in central defence.

Mason Mount and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are close to a return. Anthony Martial and Tyrell Malacia are not available.

Man Utd Motivation

United sits a full eight points behind Villa in the top-four race. That gap makes this a must-win match.

At the very least, they can’t lose at Villa Park, or they can kiss goodbye ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League.

Key Stats

Aston Villa have lost 3 of their last 8 matches (2 in a row at home)

Aston Villa have won 16 of their last 18 home EPL matches

Man Utd have scored 2+ goals in 6 of their last 7 matches (19 scored in total)

Man Utd have lost just once at Villa Park in the league since 1995

Man Utd have won their last 3 matches vs Aston Villa (8-4 aggregate)

Verdict

This fixture often has goals, and neither side is defending well at the moment, plus they have a key injury each at the back. Man Utd looks in better form but winning at Emery’s Villa is not easy.

Best Bet: Man Utd win/draw double chance at 1.71
Alternate Bet: Over 3.5 goals at 2.30
Goalscorer Tip: Hojlund and Watkins to both score anytime at 7.99

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis