Preview of Aston Villa v Manchester United

Manchester United has made some quality signings during the summer transfer window, and it is obvious that the club is trying hard to reconquer its position at the top of the league table. Tonight they are playing against Aston villa. Will Tim Sherwood & co be able to cause trouble for the giant from Manchester?

Man U coach Van Gaal has said that Jones, Rojo and De Gea will not play, plus Schweinsteiger is doubtful. This will probably mean that we will see a setup in defence quite similar to their season opener against Tottenham. Blind and Smalling will likely start as central defenders.  When it comes to midfield and attack, we do not think there will be that many changes either. Herrera performed well as a substitute last match, and might get the chance from start today. It will be interesting to see if LVG decides to use Depay once again in a number 10 role, or if he will play as a wing. It is an away match, so could be that Depay’s speed is more useful as a wing.

Manchester United did not impress during the first 20 minutes of the Tottenham match, and it was not until after the own goal by Tottenham that United looked a bit better (though still quite far away from the level under Ferguson). Many players looked a bit rusty, and will have to perform better. Aston Villa surprised a bit in their last match, and will therefore bring some extra positivity into this difficult match.

Tim Sherwood is a passionate coach, and this has rubbed off on the players. Sherwood has commended the board for being willing to invest in the club, and they have brought in several new players. But at the same time, they have lost players like Delph, Benteke and Cleverly. We had some questions about the squad quality before the match against Bournemouth, and although the first half of the match was not impressive, Aston Villa was the best team and took a deserved win. Their defence looked solid despite the fact that three of the four defenders made their debuts. Attacking-wise it felt a bit tame, but Gestede shows promise. It is uncertain if he will start tonight’s match, but we would like to see him push the United defence.

Aston Villa has no new injuries reported. Okore, Grealish and Gil are out, and probably would not have started the match anyway.

We expect a match where United will have around 60-65% possession. As some of the players looked rusty and the season has just started, we are not sure how well United will perform away to a Villa defence that looks quite solid. Aston Villa will be defending themselves in this match, but could get some good counterattack opportunities and are highly dangerous on set pieces.

This fixture ended 1-1 last season, both goals scored by players not with the clubs anymore (Falcao and Benteke). It was a match United controlled, and we will not be surprised if we see the same type of match tonight.

We have a free prediction out for this match, with a bet recommendation for Aston Villa +0.75. Click here to read all the details!

Remember that we also have plenty of other football predictions out, so make sure you check our predictions page regularly.