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Relegation-threatened Aston Villa are set to play hosts to an in-form Manchester United at Villa Park this Thursday in the Premier League.
Dean Smith's relegation candidates returned to the top-flight with a lot of promise and potential. Having spent upwards of £100m in their quest to retain their Premier League status, many expected them to finish comfortably above the drop zone.
Things didn't pan out as they expected them to, however, as they now look all but set to return to the Championship. Villa have lost a whopping 20 games out of their 33 so far and have conceded more goals than any other club in the division (62). They sit 18th on the table with 27 points from 33 games.
Their opponents for the evening, Manchester United, find themselves in a stunning vein of form. The arrival of Bruno Fernandes has revitalised Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men. They have looked a different side entirely compared to the United side that hosted Villa at Old Trafford before the lockdown.
The former Premier League champions currently occupy fifth place on the table with 55 points and would hope to dislodge Chelsea and Leicester City.
Aston Villa vs Manchester United Head to Head
The Red Devils head into this fixture in red-hot form, having been unbeaten in their last 16 games across all competitions. Nine of those came in the Premier League, where they haven't tasted defeat since Burnley's trip to Old Trafford in January.
Manchester United have won three of their four league fixtures since the restart, with their last match being a 5-2 thrashing of Bournemouth at home.
The home side are unfortunately winless in their last nine league games, with their previous victory coming in January against Watford at home. The Villans have gone on to lose seven of those nine fixtures. With the season coming to a close in a month, they would hope to overtake 17th-placed Watford and escape relegation.
United and Villa's last meeting was a dramatic draw with saw Red Devils target Jack Grealish score a wondergoal at Old Trafford. The game ended 2-2, with Tyrone Mings' equaliser cancelling out Victor Lindelof's potential winner.
Overall, Villa have only registered one league victory over their upcoming opponents in the 21st century — a shock 1-0 win at Old Trafford in December 2009. Barring this outlier of a result, United have a reassuringly positive track record against Aston Villa.
Aston Villa Form Guide: LDLDLL
Manchester United Form Guide: DWDWWW
Aston Villa vs Manchester United Team News
After a season that has been marred by injuries to key players, Manchester United look fit and firing with most senior players available for selection. Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe are the only confirmed absentees ahead of their trip to the West Midlands.
Victor Lindelof had to be taken off at half-time in their home encounter with Bournemouth due to a back injury. The Swede will have to undergo late fitness tests ahead of the Villa game, and is unlikely to be risked given United's stacked fixture list. Should he remain fit, it would allow Solskjaer to potentially name an unchanged XI for the fourth consecutive league game.
Villa, on the other hand, will be without long-term absentees Tom Heaton and Wesley. Matt Targett is also expected to miss out on the game, and so is Bjorn Engels.
Mings and Villa skipper Grealish both suffered minor scares in their game against the champions Liverpool, but are likely to feature against United. The injury to the latter will be particularly concerning for Dean Smith as he has been a talismanic figure for Villa.
Aston Villa vs Manchester United Predicted XIs
Aston Villa Predicted XI: Pepe Reina; Ezri Konsa, Kortney Hause, Tyrone Mings, Neil Taylor; Anwar El Ghazi, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, David Trezeguet; Jack Grealish; David Davis
Manchester United Predicted XI: David de Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic; Mason Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Anthony Martial
Aston Villa vs Manchester United Prediction
Given the home side's worrying form and the away side's spectacular run of results, the momentum ahead of the game fully favours the Red Devils. Solskjaer will be hoping to register another emphatic victory away from home and seal the all-important three points.
The United forwards would be hoping for a field-day against statistically the worst defence in the league. It could potentially be a long and painful evening for Dean Smith's men.
Predicted Scoreline: Aston Villa 0-3 Manchester United
