Second-placed Manchester United will entertain fifth-placed Aston Villa at the Old Trafford on Friday night hoping to pick up a win that would send them joint-top with Liverpool in the points table. On the other hand, the high-flying Villans have been a tough nut to crack for the big guns as they’ve managed to secure points against the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, and Leicester City this season. Presently just 3 points off the top four, Dean Smith’s men will be determined to secure a victory this week at the expense of United’s early title hopes.
Let’s look at how things are shaping up ahead of Aston Villa’s trip to Manchester.
Team News
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hasn’t reported any fresh injury from the 1-0 win over Wolves on Tuesday. David De Gea’s nasty collision with Adama Traore seemed concerning, but the Spaniard shot-stopper managed to play for the full 90 minutes and should be fit to take command in goal vs Villa. Therefore, Victor Lindelof, who re-injured his back against Leicester City on Matchday 15, remains the lone doubt ahead of the clash.
Tyrone Mings will return from suspension to resume his centre-half partnership with Kortney Hause at the heart of Smith’s defence, which means that Ezri Konsa could drop down to the bench. Furthermore, Chelsea loanee Ross Barkley is apparently close to a return, but the game at Old Trafford might come too soon for him.
Talking Tactics And Key Men
Manchester United Premier League form: D-W-W-D-W
Aston Villa Premier League form: W-D-W-W-D
Solskjaer would be expected to dominate things in the middle of the park with the help of holding midfielders like Fred and Scott McTominay. However, the task is certainly tougher than it sounds, especially against the likes of John McGinn and Douglas Luiz in Villa’s midfield. Last time out, United had to work tirelessly throughout the ninety minutes to take Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves out of the equation before Marcus Rashford finally managed to find the back of the net in injury time from Bruno Fernandes’ long-ball. Contrastingly, the Red Devils could effortlessly outnumber Leeds at the centre of the park as Harrison and Raphinha shifted out wide time and again, leaving Kalvin Phillips as the only holding midfielder to deal with United’s counter-attacks.
Up against a defence that has kept 8 clean sheets in 14 league matches this term, Solskjaer will be highly dependent on the trio of Rashford, Bruno, and Martial to exploit the gaps in Villa’s backline.
Flipping over to the defensive aspect of the game, Manchester United will desperately need Aaron Wan-Bissaka at his best to nullify the attacking threats possessed by Jack Grealish and Anwar El Ghazi down the left-hand side. Eric Bailly has been in impressive form lately, and a complete shutout against Ollie Watkins should mean increased competition with Lindelof for a spot in the starting eleven, given that the Ivorian centre-back stays fit.
Predicted Starting Line-ups
Manchester United possible starting XI:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Fred; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial
Aston Villa possible starting XI:
Martinez; Cash, Hause, Mings, Targett; Luiz, McGinn; El Ghazi, Grealish, Traore; Watkins
Our Prediction
Manchester United 2-1 Aston Villa.
