Match Preview : Manchester United VS Aston Villa
Match Preview: Manchester United vs Aston Villa| Old Trafford – 29/11/19 KO: 16:30
Manchester United vs Aston Villa is an English football classic that we have been deprived of for too many years, but now Villa are back in the Premier League, where they should be, the Reds will lock horns with the Villans.
How Do Manchester United Look?
Embed from Getty ImagesOle Gunnar Solskjaer resting the majority of the first-team squad in midweek might just be a blessing in disguise. As most of the U23 squad had to make the 9 hour round trip to Kazahkstan, the senior squad should now be rested and ready for the game this Sunday.
The most interesting of the players rested against Astana was Brandon Williams. With only a handful of appearances under his belt, he has seemingly asserted himself as not only a first-team option but perhaps an actual starter. No other players that started against Sheffield last weekend were involved in the Europa League.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did have some positive injury news after the Astana game. “We hope Scotty [McTominay] will be back soon as possible, but he’s also been back home and I’ve not seen him. Maybe [he will be fit to face] Spurs but hopefully for Sunday.
Paul Pogba was pictured at Carrington for the first time since he went to Dubai to step up his recovery.
Opposition: Aston Villa
Embed from Getty ImagesAston Villa are back in the big time and in all honesty its good to have them back. They’re one of few teams in the premier league outside of United I have respect for, passionate fans and historic ground. A true Premier League club.
@villabible on Instagram gave me the lowdown on all things Aston Villa this season:
How is life back in the Premier League?
‘Life back in the premier league has been great for the club and the fans but results haven’t always gone our way. we would be higher up in the table if we didn’t soak up so much pressure and let goals in late on. mistakes and players becoming tired has also been a big part in costing us points. our performances haven’t been bad at all. we have only had one or two games where the opposition were better than us. personally, I feel the players’ performances deserve to be sat higher up in the table but we are currently sat 15th right now. 15th isn’t bad at all for a newly promoted team and I’d happily take 15th come the end of the season but like I have said, the performances the players have given should be higher in the table. there’s still time though and like I said, I’d happily take 15th and I’d also happily take 17th. as long as we stay in the league this season then I don’t mind where we finish. so to sum up, our season has been quite positive but I personally feel we deserve to be a few places higher.’
Who Should Manchester United be worried about on Sunday?
‘We have quite a few key players in the squad so it’s quite hard to choose one. I feel McGinn or Grealish will be our key player on Sunday.’
Are there any obvious Weaknesses Manchester United should be looking to exploit?
‘I wouldn’t say we are weak anywhere it’s just when players start to slow down that we become weak and start to soak up the pressure. When we allow the pressure the team start to do silly things and loose the ball allowing unwanted pressure. Personally I would say we have a pretty strong squad and as long as we don’t allow too much pressure and the players don’t become too fatigued then we will hopefully do alright Sunday.’
Key Stats: United vs Villa
Embed from Getty Images- Manchester United have only lost 1 in 24 home Premier League games against Aston Villa.
- Manchester United have won 34 Premier League home games against Aston Villa.
- Aston Villa have lost 12 of their last 13 Premier League away games against the 6 ever-present sides.
- Jack Grealish has carried the ball further than any other Player in the league this term (3441 Metres). He’s created 17 chances after carrying the ball (moving the ball 5 or more metres), more than any other player in the League.
The pressure is mounting on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The teams in and around ourselves have made managerial changes due to poor starts to the season. Both Unai Emery and Mauricio Pochettino have lost their jobs due to similar veins of form to United. Anything but a win will only compound that pressure. I personally think we’ll win this one but I also said we’ll beat Sheffield so who knows. Massive thanks to @villabible for the input – make sure you drop them a follow.
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