Manchester United and Aston Villa will meet in a must-win game at Old Trafford tomorrow. Both teams are struggling to find momentum in the past few games. While the Villans have won 3, drawn 3, and lost 3 of their nine games, it’s been worse for the Red Devils, who have won just one Premier League game so far.
The Villans are in a better position in comparison to Manchester United. Despite facing a drubbing at the hands of Barcelona, they’re placed 10th in the Premier League table. Although that’s not something to be exactly proud about, coach Unai Emery is optimistic about his team’s capability of bouncing back.
On the other hand, Manchester United need to win the upcoming game at all costs. The Red Devils are one loss away from a humiliating relegation. Apart from that, Michael Carrick is at risk of losing his job as the team manager. He knows that his team cannot afford any errors at such a juncture. That is why fans from both sides expect the upcoming clash between United and Aston Villa to go down to the wire.
Last 5 Games
The Villans have had a roller coaster ride in the 2026-27 Premier League, especially in the last few games. Luckily, their last major loss came almost two months ago, when Nottingham Forest stunned them 2-1. Since then, Aston Villa have won 3 of their last five Premier League games, while the remaining two ended in a draw. Their other losses have come in the EFL Cup and the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Manchester United barely managed to keep their Champions League hopes alive with a slender win against AS Roma. Their only Premier League victory came against a relatively weaker Ipswich Town when the two sides met on August 30. Since then, the Red Devils have lost 2 of their last five Premier League games, while the remaining 3 ended in a draw.
Aston Villa: 10th [Premier League only]
Draw: 1-1 vs Fulham
Win: 2-1 vs Manchester City
Win: 1-0 vs Newcastle United
Draw: 2-2 vs Brentford
Win: 3-2 vs Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester United: 17th [Premier League only]
Loss: 2-0 vs Chelsea
Loss: 3-0 vs Bournemouth
Draw: 1-1 vs Leeds United
Draw: 1-1 vs Tottenham Hotspur
Draw: 1-1 vs Fulham
Team News
Both teams will be using the 4-2-3-1 formation. Once again, Manchester United will have to play without Carlos Baleba in the match against Aston Villa. Even the availability of Harry Maguire and Patrick Dorgu looks doubtful to some extent. However, since Dorgu made a surprise appearance in training before the Champions League match against AS Roma, he cannot be completely ruled out. Lisandro Martinez will be out of this match due to the red card he received in the previous Premier League clash against Chelsea.
Meanwhile, the Villans will continue to play without Amadou Onana, Matteo Ruggeri, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. While Onana is recovering from an ACL tear, Ruggeri and Wan-Bissaka are out of action due to hamstring injuries. Nicolas Jackson will be leading the attack for the West Midlands club, while Tammy Abraham will remain on the bench unless required in the second half of the game.
Possible Lineups
Aston Villa [4-2-3-1]:
Zion Suzuki, Lamare Bogarde, Victor Lindelöf, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen, Leon Goretzka, Boubacar Kamara, Alysson Edward, Johan Manzambi, John McGinn, and Nicolas Jackson
Manchester United [4-2-3-1]:
Senne Lammens, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot, Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos, Joshua Zirkzee, Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo
Head-to-Head
Manchester United have a significant advantage over Aston Villa in terms of head-to-head clashes. Across all competitions, the two sides have clashed on at least 202 occasions. Out of those matches, Manchester United won 108, while Aston Villa won 52. 42 games ended in a draw. In the Premier League itself, the Red Devils and the Villans have faced each other in 62 matches overall. Manchester United won 42 out of those 62 matches, while the Villans won only six of them. The remaining 14 matches ended in a stalemate.
However, the Villans are slowly but steadily matching up their opponents from Old Trafford. Aston Villa defeated Manchester United 2-1 when they met each other on December 21, 2025. However, United bounced back with a 3-1 win when they met again on March 15, 2026.
Where will the game be decided?
Manchester United will be entering with a fresh attacking lineup. Having snatched a crucial victory against AS Roma, the Red Devils will be looking forward to building on the attacking momentum. Matheus Cunha is expected to be given solid support from Bryan Mbeumo, even though they will be missing the presence of Benjamin Sesko. The 23-year-old striker has been out of action since September 2026, when he got a shin injury during the match against Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup [also known as the Carabao Cup].
However, the one thing that could ruin everything for the Red Devils is their lack of a solid defense. The management are working on reinforcements, but they won’t arrive before January. All Unai Emery needs to do is ensure that his players exploit the vulnerable midfield. Since Carlos Baleba is out of action, Kobby Mainoo and Youri Tielemans will be handling the midfield responsibilities, and it will be very tough for both of them to tackle a full-fledged assault by Aston Villa.
Prediction
Despite Manchester United’s poor run of form in the past few matches, most pollsters are divided on the outcome of the match. Some predict that Manchester United will have the upper hand. For instance, Oddschecker predicts that there is a 46 percent chance of the Red Devils walking away with a much-needed victory, while there is a 23 percent chance that the game will end in a draw. However, there is also a 31 percent probability of Aston Villa stunning the Red Devils in their own backyard.
Our Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester United
Odds [Figures as per Bet365]
Aston Villa win: 11/5
Draw: 13/5
Manchester United win: 23/20
Bet365 has predicted that Aston Villa has more chances of winning this match in comparison to Manchester United. The total goal ratio might be over 2.5, as reported by FlashScore.
Kickoff Time
The clash between Manchester City and RB Leipzig will kick off at 16:30 GMT tomorrow. The action will stream live on Sky Sports in UK. Chris Kavanagh will be the main referee for the match, while Craig Pawson will be on VAR Duty
