[Lucky McLuckerson]

........................VS.........................

Date: Sunday, February 11 2024
Kickoff Time: 1630 Hrs GMT
Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham

League Form Guide

6. Manchester United: WLDWW
4. Aston Villa: LWDLW


Previous League Meetings

Manchester United 3—2 Aston Villa

Manchester United 1—0 Aston Villa

Aston Villa 3—1 Manchester United

Aston Villa 2—2 Manchester United

Manchester United 0—1 Aston Villa


All-Time League Record

Manchester United wins: 90
Aston Villa wins: 45
Draws: 40


Pre-Match Pressers

Erik ten Hag



Unai Emery





Team News

Manchester United

Anthony Martial, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount and Lisandro Martínez ruled out. Sofyan Amrabat, Victor Lindelöf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka doubtful.


Aston Villa

Emiliano Buendía, Tyrone Mings, Jhon Durán and Ezri Konsa ruled out. Lucas Digne doubtful.


Know The Opposition

Aston Villa Football Club (nicknamed Villa, The Villa, The Villans, and The Lions) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham. The club were formed in March 1874, by four members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel. The four founders were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood. The first match was against the local Aston Brook St Mary's Rugby team. The club were soon playing the modern version of football though and won its first FA Cup in 1887. Aston Villa were one of the dozen teams that competed in the inaugural Football League in 1888 with one of the club's directors, William McGregor being the league's founder.

The infant club's fortunes changed forever when a young Scotsman called George Ramsay stumbled across the Villa players' practice match in Aston Park in 1876. Word spread about how fine a player Ramsay was; he also took charge of training, later describing the newly formed club's approach to the game as 'a dash at the man and a big kick at the ball'. Ramsay was influenced by the Scottish club, Queen's Park, who pioneered what became known as 'combination football' in his native Glasgow, the intricate passing game he introduced was a revolutionary move for an English club in the late 1870s. His subsequent trophy haul of six League Championships and six FA Cups established Aston Villa as the most successful club in England. He has been described as the world's first paid football manager. To this day, Ramsay remains one of the greatest managers in the history of English football, having won the most league titles of any manager in England until he was surpassed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 1999–00 and the most FA Cup trophies until surpassed by Arsène Wenger in 2016–17

Villa are one of only five English clubs to have won the European Cup, in 1981–82. They have also won the Football League First Division seven times, the FA Cup seven times, the League Cup five times, and the UEFA Super Cup once. At the end of the 2018–19 season, Aston Villa had also spent 105 seasons in the top tier of English football. The only club to have spent longer in the top flight are Everton, with 116 seasons, making Aston Villa versus Everton the most-played fixture in English top-flight football. Aston Villa's arch-rivals are Birmingham City, with games between the two clubs known as the Second City Derby. Historically though, West Bromwich Albion have arguably been Villa's greatest rivals. Villa also enjoy less heated local rivalries with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Coventry City. Aston Villa have been playing their home games at Villa Park since 1897.


Referee

Rob Jones.


Familiar Faces

N/A.​

 

[horsechoker]

Tough game, Villa probably rubbing themselves silly at the thought of getting revenge.

I really hope Lisandro Martínez is able to play

 

[Irwin99]

Please Villa, play that suicidal high line again. You know you want to.

 

[Red Royal]

We have a full week's rest so should before up for this. Martinez injury is so annoying but our team is starting to improve.

 

[abailey123]

Team picks itself

Onana

Dalot
Varane
Maguire
Shaw

Casemiro
Mainoo
Bruno

Garnacho
Hojlund
Rashford

gutted for martinez. That looks at best MCL and 2-3 months so probably season done. Just as we where starting to build a solid foundation again

 

[Red Rash]

Team picks itself

Onana

Dalot
Varane
Maguire
Shaw

Casemiro
Mainoo
Bruno

Garnacho
Hojlund
Rashford

gutted for martinez. That looks at best MCL and 2-3 months so probably season done. Just as we where starting to build a solid foundation again

I'd probably play Shaw as LCB, AWB at right back (if he is fit) and Dalot.at LB.

Maguire had a couple of dodgy moments today and I think Shaw would give us more stability at the back

 

[3KDré]

Villa just lost their unbeaten home record. Just keep it tight.

 

[RuudTom83]

The issue with playing Shaw at LCB is that you are changing 2 positions instead of just 1.

Terrible luck for Licha, but I'd make 1 change for Villa. Maguire for Licha. Keep everyone else where they were vs West Ham.

 

[erikcred]

Tough game, Villa probably rubbing themselves silly at the thought of getting revenge.

I really hope Lisandro Martínez is able to play

They'll overcommit and we can pick them off on the counter. Cautiously optimistic. Feck it. We're winning 5-3.

 

[CallyRed]

I'd take a hard fought 0-0.

 

[doomy20]

Rashford and Rasmus need to be clinical with the counters, not feck up. Villa will score at least 1 or 2 so we gotta do 2 or 3.

 

[VP89]

Doubt this is a tight affair. I think both teams will just go at each other again, just like in the reverse tie. Thankfully this time we'll have Casemiro.

 

[Thiagoal]

Massive game for our top 4/5 aspirations. Could be 11 or 5 points away from Villa after this one

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Team picks itself

Onana

Dalot
Varane
Maguire
Shaw

Casemiro
Mainoo
Bruno

Garnacho
Hojlund
Rashford

gutted for martinez. That looks at best MCL and 2-3 months so probably season done. Just as we where starting to build a solid foundation again

Yep, has to be this.

 

[UnitedRepublic]

If they play a low block this time around I think we’re losing if thats the case.

 

[James35]

I would take a draw in this one but think we will lose especially with Martinez back out.

Same team but with Varane.

3-2 Villa.

 

[slored1]

We need to win this.

Onana
Dalot - Varane - Maguire - Shaw
Casemiro
Mainoo - Fernandes
Garnacho - Hojlund - Rashford

1-2 United.

 

[Mike Smalling]

Aston Villa won't be nearly as forgiving as West Ham were today - we can't give them as many chances. At the other end we have to be clinical, and I feel like this is a game where Rashford needs to step up. I imagine we will sit back for a period of the game, and here we need to find the right balance between going for the counter and sometimes maintaining possession - hopefully Bruno won't just pump long balls all the time. This game can go any which way.

Team should probably be:

Onana
Dalot - Maguire - Varane - Shaw
Casemiro - Mainoo
Garnacho - Bruno - Rashford
Højlund

Assuming Martinez is out, of course.

 

[Alemar]

Same team but with Varane.

It’s not like we have any other viable options

 

[KiD MoYeS]

I'd take a draw. A loss really leaves us with a very, very tough challenge getting top five. A win would be huge.

 

[Leftback99]

Top half away. We know what happens.

 

[Ayoba]

Going to be tough.

Lose and top 4 is over. Win and we give ourselves half a chance.

 

[tentan]

Back down to earth again

 

[Teja]

If they defend, just take a boring draw. If they attack, kill them on the counter. Must not loose this one.

 

[Mr Smith]

So we've got this game and then afterwards we play Luton snd Fulham in the league before the Manchester Derby. I know those two aren't pushovers, but win here and we have a genuine chance of winning 5 on the bounce, which would be huge for our season and push for CL places. I hope we unapologetically hit them on the counter, even if they don't play the crazy high line they did last time, Newcastle showed in their recent match that they're vulnerable.

 

[Gasolin]

I'd probably play Shaw as LCB, AWB at right back (if he is fit) and Dalot.at LB.

Maguire had a couple of dodgy moments today and I think Shaw would give us more stability at the back

Whatever happens, we need Shaw at LB so that Rashford can be dangerous and effective, we should get someone else in that LCB position.

 

[BaguetteBoy]

Back down to earth again

remember thinking the same last time especially after going down 0-2 first half and was proven wrong. Will miss the butcher but this is a much better line up going into this game. Will be happy with a draw

 

[Nicoseth]

Massive game - obviously. I think we win it.

 

[SAF is the GOAT]

If they play a low block this time around I think we’re losing if thats the case.

I don't think we'll control the ball, most of the times we never do.

 

[suheilsworld]

Confidence is high and our players are getting the goals that eluded us before. Still think we can be more clinical and convert these 3-4 goals to 5-6 in a game. We are creating but just missing that vital composure in the final 3rd. Will be an open game and Villa highline and trying to catch attacking teams offside might work in our favor if our players time that run and passes to perfection. Big big game and I can see us winning 4-2

 

[kouroux]

If we were able to go to Anfield and get a 0-0 then there is no reason not to do the same or even better.

 

[DJ_21]

This will be a tougher game than wolves and West Ham, the only thing that gives me hope is the way Villa play. With that high line we can get in behind and score goals. Have to keep tight at the back though.

 

[Roosney]

Another Sunday kick-off ffs. I thought these were over since we're not in Europa League.

 

[pascell]

This is a massive game for our hopes of a top 4 finish. If they beat us then 11 points to claw back on them from 12 games with City (A), Liverpool and Arsenal (H) still to come, is a big ask.

 

[Gordon Godot]

If we were able to go to Anfield and get a 0-0 then there is no reason not to do the same or even better.

How expectations have been lowered. 0-0 at the mighty Aston Villa....

 

[VP89]

How expectations have been lowered. 0-0 at the mighty Aston Villa....

They were unbeaten at home until very recently to be fair

 

[Leftback99]

It's a must win if we want to have any chance of finishing above them. They aren't going to drop at least 9 points more than us from 14 games.

 

[Unam333]

Team picks itself

Onana

Dalot
Varane
Maguire
Shaw

Casemiro
Mainoo
Bruno

Garnacho
Hojlund
Rashford

gutted for martinez. That looks at best MCL and 2-3 months so probably season done. Just as we where starting to build a solid foundation again

Has to be that team.

1-2 United

 

[Hughes35]

Team picks itself

Onana

Dalot
Varane
Maguire
Shaw

Casemiro
Mainoo
Bruno

Garnacho
Hojlund
Rashford

gutted for martinez. That looks at best MCL and 2-3 months so probably season done. Just as we where starting to build a solid foundation again

Yep, cant see anything else (unless Martinez has a miracle recovery).

 

[kouroux]

How expectations have been lowered. 0-0 at the mighty Aston Villa....

Some of us do live in the real world and not in a fantasy where teams just fold to us...