Although Aston Villa may have defied expectations up to this point, boss Unai Emery will be striving for consistency as they look to keep hold of the top-four place they ended their previous match in. The Villans have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions (D2, L2), and after they were dumped out of the FA Cup by Chelsea during the week, Emery insists finishing in a European qualification place in the Premier League is his “main objective”.
Emery will therefore be desperate to re-establish Villa Park’s ‘fortress’ status after seeing his side lose back-to-back games on home soil, more defeats than they suffered in their 22 prior matches there. The visit of Manchester United will bring back happy memories of his first game in charge at Aston Villa (W 3-1), but that was their only H2H win on this ground since October 1999 (D6, L17) and they’ve lost the last three meetings between the sides since, albeit all came at Old Trafford.
That includes one on Boxing Day that saw Manchester United stage an incredible comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2. That looks to have acted as a turning point for their season, as the Red Devils have recorded 13 of their 31 Premier League season goals in their last five matches (W3, D1, L1) whilst progressing through the FA Cup twice. Three of those goals came in a resounding 3-0 home victory over West Ham last Sunday.
Erik ten Hag’s side appear on the up after enduring a turbulent first half of the season, and they would move to within five points of Aston Villa with another victory here. Manchester United long-standing troubles on the road are well documented, but they’re now on a run of three consecutive away wins across all competitions, and extending that to four would be their best run since October 2020.
Players to watch: Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins will be desperate for a return to form at home, as four of his last five goals have come in away matches. Alejandro Garnacho has an affinity for striking against those in Claret and Blue, as his last two scoring appearances saw him hit a brace against West Ham last weekend and against Aston Villa in December’s reverse fixture.
Hot stat: 12 of the 14 away goals Manchester United conceded this Premier League season came after half-time.
