England Premier League
Tuesday 26th December 2023
Kick off at 8pm GMT
Venue: Old Trafford
Match Preview:
It’s now 3 games without a win for Manchester United and they come into this batch of midweek games in 8th place and are 12 points behind the league leaders Arsenal. Perhaps the most pressing issue is that the club are not improving under manager Erik ten Hag and they keep losing games and dropping points and are 8 points even from a top four finish. United lost their 8th game of the season last weekend as they were defeated 2-0 at West Ham and this follows a draw against Liverpool which was a good point but they have also recently lost to Bournemouth, these are not good times for the club who continue to suffer and play well within themselves ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired a decade ago.
At home there have been five wins but because there have also been four defeats it means that the club would only rank in 10th place on home form alone. United have won 3 of their last five home games but losing 3-0 against Bournemouth in their latest home game felt like a real reality check. There was a surprise for Aston Villa at the weekend who drew 1-1 with Sheffield United at home. Previous to that Villa had a 100% win rate at home and were expected to make light work of bottom placed Sheffield United but they almost lost the game and it took a 97th minute equaliser to salvage a point. It was unfortunate as had Unai Emery’s side won they would have been top of the league. Villa are in 3rd place with 39 points and are only a point behind Arsenal and have had a superb season so far. Recent form has seen victories over both Manchester City and Arsenal and they have won 3 of their last four games with just 1 defeat in their last 10. On the road they would rank in 6th place and have won 14 points from a possible 27 and are undefeated in their last 3 games, their latest away game finished in a 2-1 win over Brentford.
Team News:
Manchester United: Harry Maguire’s recent injury is more serious than first thought and he is expected to be out at least the next 3 weeks with a groin injury. Anthony Martial will be assessed due to illness; it is the same situation for Raphael Varane. Amad Diallo will be assessed due to a lack of match fitness. The following players are out long term; Mason Mount, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Victor Lindelof and Casemiro. Jadon Sancho is unavailable
Aston Villa: Boubacar Kamara is suspended and not due back for 3 weeks. Matthew Cash is suspended for this game after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season. Pau Torres is a doubt with an ankle sprain and remains at just 50/50 to return. Youri Tielemans isn’t due back for 3 weeks due to a calf injury. Emiliano Buendia, Tyrone Mings and Bertrand Traore all remain out
Man Utd vs Aston Villa Head to Head:
In this fixture last season Manchester United won 1-0.
Manchester United have won 6 of the last 10 meetings.
There is a 70% chance to see over 2.5 goals.
Man Utd vs Aston Villa Prediction:
Can Manchester United be trusted? That is the key question here because time and again they have failed to deliver, however not in every sense. For every home loss against Bournemouth or poor displays they have gone to Anfield and kept a clean sheet and got a draw. They beat Chelsea here recently and there seems to be a pattern- this team can up their game against quality sides and this season Aston Villa have been just that.
It is tempting to look at Emery’s side as the one that has everything going for them but their injury list is slightly increasing and two key players are suspended. We think that United will have enough in the tank to win this game.
Man Utd vs Aston Villa Betting Tips:
Draw no bet (Manchester United) at 1.87
Anytime goalscorer: Bruno Fernandes at 3.20
Over 2.5 goals at 1.65
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