Manchester United face a tough task as they search for only a second Premier League win in their last six games when they host flying Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Boxing Day.
The Red Devils failed to score for the fourth match in a row on Saturday as West Ham scored twice in the second half to overtake Erik ten Hag’s side in the table.
Villa couldn’t manage the win against Sheffield United on Friday night that would have taken them to the top of the standings at Christmas, but know victory here would deal another large blow to United’s Champions League qualification hopes.
Here’s 90min’s preview of the game on Tuesday.
Manchester United vs Aston Villa H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Amazon Prime Video |
|
United States |
nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, USA Network |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada |
Manager Ten Hag could make a raft of changes to the starting XI that was beaten at London Stadium on Saturday after another limp performance in attack.
Marcus Rashford could return after appearing as a substitute against the Hammers, while Christian Eriksen is an option in midfield after earning his first minutes since before the November international break.
Teenage centre-back Willy Kambwala started at West Ham and could be picked again with fitness issues affecting Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
Manchester United predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Kambwala, Evans, Shaw; McTominay, Mainoo; Rashford, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund.
Unai Emery will have to deal with suspensions for Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara for Tuesday’s trip to Old Trafford.
The Spanish manager is also without Emiliano Buendia, Tyrone Mings, Bertrand Traore, Robin Olsen and Pau Torres, while Youri Tielemans could shake off a fitness issue to feature in the squad against Sheffield United.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Manchester United (4-2-2-2): Martinez, Konsa, Carlos, Lenglet, Digne; Luiz, McGinn; Bailey, Ramsey; Diaby, Watkins.
Now down in eighth, Man Utd simply cannot shake off their persistent issues to build up a consistent run of form to take them up the table.
Aston Villa have showed a combined goal threat and nous in defence, though there would have been disappointment with their draw last time out as they failed to claim top spot in the Premier League table.
The Villans’ industrious style of play could make this Boxing Day encounter a real nightmare for a goal-shy Man Utd, who have lost four league games at Old Trafford already this season.
Prediction: Manchester United 0-2 Aston Villa
READ 90MIN’S OTHER MATCH PREVIEWS FOR GAMEWEEK 19
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
90Mins
