ASTON VILLA – MANCHESTER UNITED | Sunday 3pm
“They are back”. The blessing for Manchester United came directly from Guardiola. Yes, the City coach, seeing what ten Hag’s team is managing to do, sentenced it this way. It is hard not to agree with the Spaniard, especially seeing what is the momentum of the Red Devils, who have got on the right track and are on the upswing both in the league and in Europe. The classification at the moment says fifth place, only one length away from the next Champions League qualification. In short, after a disastrous start, to say the least, the former Ajax coach seems to have put things right. And against an Aston Villa in a crisis of play and results, he dreams of the big score.
At the other end, the hosts have given Gerrard the boot and paid the termination clause to Villarreal to get Unai Emery on the bench. The coach has been the Villans’ new trainer for six days now and he certainly did not dream of such a difficult debut on the bench. To get his hands on the team, the Spaniard has had little time. And in short, United remain the favourites who, in another historical moment, perhaps would not have even ‘seen’ Aston Villa and would have brought home the three points without even breaking a sweat. That moment in history, however, seems light years away, but that doesn’t preclude the Red Devils from winning this game, which would be their fourth league and cup win in a row.
Emery, debuts today with Aston Villa
The Prediction
A Manchester United victory seems possible, especially given the moment Aston Villa are experiencing. Ten Hag’s team has the strength to get a full result, also because they seem to have found an important defensive square with only one goal conceded in the last five. In short, victorious Red Devils. Yes, ‘they’re back’
The likely line-ups for Aston Villa-Manchester United
- ASTON VILLA (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Luiz, Kamara; Coutinho, Watkins, Bailey.
- MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dalot, Lindelof, Varane, Shaw; Eriksen, Casemiro; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Sancho; Ronaldo.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
