Following yet another disappointing midweek result against Tottenham Hotspurs on Thursday, Manchester United will be looking to return to winning ways when they host high-flying Aston Villa at Old Trafford this afternoon.
Man United were held to a frustrating 2-2 draw by Spurs during the English Premier League encounter. United bottled a two-goal lead once again after the interval, when Spurs produced a spectacular comeback in the second half and shared spoils.
Previously, United squandered a two-goal advantage against Spanish outfit Sevilla during their Uefa Europa League first leg, which led to them crashing out of the cup competition in the second leg.
Manchester United cannot afford to make the same mistake again, as they come up against a transformed Villa side who were facing a relegation scare a few months ago.
The appointment of Unai Emery in November last year has been a breath of fresh air at Villa Park and is paying dividends, as Villa are now mysteriously on the brink of securing European football next season for the first time after 13 years.
Emery and his side are enjoying a 10-match unbeaten run and currently occupy number six in the log standings with 54 points – six points adrift the top four spot.
Meanwhile, United captain Harry Maguire will likely miss the all-important encounter after he reportedly picked up an injury during a training session.
Maguire extends Erik Ten Hag’s injury list in the defence department, with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez both out until the end of the season. Ten Hag will now be relying on the partnership of Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw in the heart of the United defence, who will be pairing up for the third game in succession.
Villa comes back from a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Fulham on Tuesday and will come out guns blazing to cause a further upset against the Red Devils.
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