This weekend sees Manchester United return to Old Trafford to host Championship bound Aston Villa in the Premier League. Their morale will be on the up following a massive 2-1 victory in the FA Cup replay at Upton Park on Wednesday, a result which sends them into the semi-finals to face Everton at Wembley.
On the other hand, Aston Villa have been in a sorry state pretty much all season as they come into this fixture 15 points off 17th placed Norwich City with five games remaining. They could be officially relegated even before kick-off should Norwich get anything against Sunderland in the early kick-off.
Though the probability seems to be around one in a million, can Aston Villa spur a major upset against Louis van Gaal’s side at Old Trafford?
Kick-Off and Live Telecast
Channel: StarSports 2, StarSports 2 HD
Live Stream : www.starsports.com
Kick-Off : Saturday, 16 April – 19.30 IST (15.00 BST)
Venue: Old Trafford
Betting odds: Manchester United win 2/9, Draw 24/5, Aston Villa win 12/1 (Betfair)
Team News
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has confirmed that World Cup winning midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger’s knee injury will keep him out for the rest of the season. Wayne Rooney came on as a late substitute in the FA Cup replay and could start.
Ander Herrera is a doubt after a foot injury sustained during the replay and Luke Shaw is still a week or two away from returning to first-team duties.
Aston Villa right-back Alan Hutton has completed his suspension and is set to return straight back to the starting line-up. Jack Grealish could start after stepping up his return to first-team action from injury, but forward Gabriel Agbonlahor is still unfit and left-back Jordan Amavi is still out.
Team Form
Manchester United responded positively to their thrashing at White Hart Lane with a 2-1 victory against high-flying West Ham United in the FA Cup quarter-final replay to book themselves a ticket to Wembley.
Marcus Rashford’s brilliant goal and Marouane Fellaini’s chested effort from a deflected shot were enough to give United the win despite a late Hammers’ fightback. The character showed by Louis van Gaal’s side in the final 10 minutes would have pleased the boss and the fans, who were desperate to see their side recover from Sunday’s insipid display.
The most pleasing aspect of an otherwise disappointing season for Manchester United has been the emergence of their academy graduates like Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and of course, Rashford.
A successful FA Cup campaign coupled with the impressive run of this crop of youngsters are the two factor that could well save Louis van Gaal’s job.
However, United are still 4 points – effectively 5 points due to a vastly inferior goal difference – short of the Champions League places with 6 games left. A big win against Aston Villa alongside a Manchester City slip-up at Chelsea later in the day could be the catalysts that kick-start United’s late end-of-season surge.
Last 5 games (All competitions) : W-L-W-W-D (Most Recent – West Ham United 1-2 Manchester United)
Aston Villa were effectively sent down following another listless performance in a home defeat to Bournemouth last week. Everything has gone downhill for the club this season – be it transfer policies, management errors or on-pitch performances.
Selling their best players in the form of Christian Benteke, Ron Vlaar, Fabian Delph and Andreas Weimann was asking for trouble. Then the decision to sack Tim Sherwood – who was struggling to make ends meet with a squad simply not good enough for the Premier League – and appointing Frenchman Remi Garde who never really have an idea about the passion and rigours of the Premier League is another black mark in owner Randy Lerner’s book.
Fans have expressed their wrath towards the American, most of them unfurling banners reading ‘Proud History, what Future?’. It is worth remembering that Aston Villa were once the winners of the European Cup (now the Champions League) in 1982.
Now with Garde gone and relegation all but confirmed, Villa must look to appoint a manager who knows all about the Championship and how to get a team out of it. Nigel Pearson, maybe?
Meanwhile, they have the small matter of a trip to Old Trafford on the back of 8 consecutive defeats. The result looks inevitable, but with nothing to lose, can they bring a smile back to their fans’ faces with a spirited team display at Old Trafford?
Last 5 games (All competitions) : L-L-L-L-L (Most Recent – Aston Villa 1-2 Bournemouth)
Predicted Starting Line-Ups
Key Stats
- Manchester United have lost just once in 40 league meetings against Aston Villa – a 0-1 defeat at Old Trafford thanks to a Gabby Agbonlahor goal.
- Wayne Rooney has scored 13 Premier League goals against Villa.
- Manchester United have won their last 4 league games at Old Trafford.
- They have kept 15 league clean sheets – more than any other team in the league.
- Relegation-doomed Aston Villa have lost their last 8 league games – their worst run in the Premier League era.
- They have not won away from home since beating Bournemouth on the opening day of the season.
Key Battle
Anthony Martial vs Alan Hutton
Villa right-back Alan Hutton – who is returning from a suspension – is set to be tested by the fleet-footed Anthony Martial on the wings as he looks to pierce the Villa defence with his lighting quick dribbling.
The rustiness that usually characterises a player when he returns from a ban is set to put Hutton on the backfoot as he prepares for a duel with the 20-year old. If the 31-year old manages to keep the Frenchman at bay, it will definitely go down as a personal success for the Scot – although such an outcome seems highly unlikely looking at the sublime form of Martial.
Prediction
Manchester United 3-0 Aston Villa
Even the Aston Villa teams of the Martin O’Neil era have traditionally struggled to get the better of Manchester United, so this Villa side are set to just continue that trend. A straightforward afternoon for the hosts is written all over this fixture.
