Manchester United travel to Aston Villa on Sunday hoping to keep pace with the top four in the Premier League. United are just a point behind fourth-placed Newcastle with a game in hand, despite a difficult start that threatened to derail Erik ten Hag’s tenure.
To say they’ve always been convincing, even after their turnaround, would be a bit premature. There is undoubtedly much more to come, but if they can break into the top four before the World Cup break, it will be a huge sign of progress.
Meanwhile, Villa are about to enter the Unai Emery era. The former Arsenal manager will take charge of his first game as manager on Sunday, hoping to vastly improve on Steven Gerrard’s tenure. Emery appears set to give a fresh start to a number of Villa players, including Morgan Sanson and Marvelous Nakamba. Emi Martinez, on the other hand, is questionable after suffering a head injury in the defeat at Newcastle.
Anthony Martial was not quite fit enough for the trip to Real Sociedad, while Jadon Sancho was ill. Emi Martinez, on the other hand, is doubtful following a head injury suffered in the defeat at Newcastle.
If there is one certainty, it is that Emery will have Villa well organized. However, whether that is sufficient to hold off a United team capable of grinding out results is debatable. Despite some high-scoring matches between these teams in the past, the current standings indicate a different attitude. They are nowhere near the top of the rankings when it comes to ‘over’ matches, and Aston Villa will try to save face in any way they can. The plan will be to build a wall in the back line and give their defenders some confidence.
Head-to-head (h2h) history and results-
Aston Villa wins: 50
Draws: 41
Manchester United wins: 102
Aston Villa vs Manchester United Prediction-
Manchester United have been impressive under Erik ten Hag and have made significant progress since the beginning of the season.
Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro have stepped up in recent weeks and will need to perform again this weekend.
This season, Aston Villa have struggled and given Unai Emery a mountain to climb. Manchester United is currently the better team and should be able to win this game.
Aston Villa 0-2 Manchester United
