Manchester United FC vs Aston Villa FC, Premier League 2022-2023, Today Match Prediction

Manchester United FC vs Aston Villa FC Match Prediction & Analysis

Manchester United are in some danger of sleepwalking their way into a closer battle for the top four than they would like.

Despite rushing into a 2-0 lead against Tottenham, a weak second-half performance allowed their opponents back into the game and had to settle for a point at the end. Erik ten Hag was not best pleased with his players.

United’s performance levels haven’t been at their best of late, despite cementing 4th spot and getting through to the FA Cup Final. Anything other than victory here would see their lead cut further.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, have the second-best record in the league over the past 10 games, just behind Manchester City.

They’ve launched up to 6th in the league under Emery, and could claim European football if their form continues. It would be the least they deserve after a string of exceptional performances lately.

Can they earn a league double over United this season?

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Manchester United FC Preview

Reasons to be cheerful:

     Unbeaten in 14 home games since the opening game of the season

     Can create a nine-point gap between the two teams with victory

Reasons to be fearful:

     Seem to be limping to results currently

     Lost to Villa earlier in the season

With a six-point gap over the chasing teams, as well as two games in hand, Manchester United are still well placed to finish in the top four this season.

However, they appear to be limping towards results at the moment rather than putting teams to bed as they were earlier in the season.

They had the game in the palm of their hand at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, only to allow their opponents back into the contest with a weak performance.

That won’t be possible against this Aston Villa side, who are energetic, direct and fight for every ball under Unai Emery. 

If the Red Devils aren’t at the races here, they’ll be punished, like they were at Villa Park earlier in the campaign. 

United’s home form is fantastic, however, going unbeaten since the opening game of the season.

Star Man – Marcus Rashford

Scored and created an assist in midweek. Rashford now has 19 home goals in all competitions this season and will hope to stay fit and firing for the remainder of the campaign.

Aston Villa FC Preview

Reasons to be cheerful

     Unbeaten in their last 10 in the league

     Aiming for a league double over United for first time since 1930

Reasons to be fearful

     Performances have fallen off a little lately

     Tough run of fixtures for Emery’s men

Unai Emery has succeeded in turning his players into a team that is very hard to play against right now.

They haven’t suffered defeat in the league since mid-February, and every player in Emery’s squad seems to have lifted their level in recent months.

Villa won’t have any fear coming to Old Trafford, considering that they’ve beaten the Red Devils in two of their last three league meetings. 

A huge incentive is that they will go within three points of United if they can claim victory here, although their main goal this season will be to finish inside the top seven, which should guarantee European football.

One concern is that performances have fallen off a little for Villa recently. They were a little fortunate to get away with a 1-1 draw against Brentford, while Fulham pushed them hard as Villa won 1-0 in midweek.

Star Man – Ollie Watkins

The English forward has been in terrific form under Emery and has 15 goals for the season. He has one goal from his seven appearances for United and will be keen to improve upon that here.