Aston Villa vs Manchester United Preview

Aston Villa Predicted XI vs Manchester United

Reina; Konsa, Hause, Mings, Taylor; El Ghazi, Luiz, McGinn, Trezeguet; Grealish; Samratta

Manchester United Predicted XI vs Aston Villa

De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Bailly, Shaw; Pogba, Matic; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial

Aston Villa vs Manchester United Preview

Aston Villa enter the final five games of their first season back in the Premier League in a precarious position, currently 18th and four points adrift of Watford with a game in hand. Dean Smith’s men have been in poor form of late and have taken just two points from their last eight league fixtures, scoring four times in that barren run. They acquitted themselves well in their last game against Liverpool but two late goals saw them leave Anfield empty-handed.

If Villa are to save their season in the coming weeks they will likely have Jack Grealish to thank but the talisman has struggled to make an impact since the restart. However the Villa captain has been one of the league’s most creative players this season, second only to Kevin de Bruyne in terms of chances created.

The reverse fixture back in December saw Villa pick up a vital point at Old Trafford with Grealish scoring a brilliant opener past David de Gea. The midlands side have looked much stronger at Villa Park this season and have picked up five of their seven league wins on home turf, but this United side are a different beast to the one that they faced seven months ago.

No Premier League team has taken more points from their last eight fixtures than Manchester United and they have won their last four games in all competitions. They are undefeated in their last 16 matches and have improved massively since the arrival of Bruno Fernandes in January. The Portuguese playmaker has notched seven goals and six assists in his 14 appearances for the club.

His influence has spread throughout the team too and former United defender Rio Ferdinand has praised Fernandes for the form of Paul Pogba in recent weeks. Alongside the workmanlike Nemanja Matic, who this week signed a new three-year contract with the club, United now appear to have a midfield trio capable of breaking down resolute defences. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that his team may need to win all of their remaining fixtures to finish in the top-four but Leicester’s draw with Arsenal on Tuesday evening has improved United’s chances. They are currently four points off the Foxes, but have played a game less.

Aston Villa vs Manchester United: Injuries and Suspensions

The biggest concern for Villa boss Dean Smith in the Liverpool game was the fitness of Jack Grealish and central defender Tyrone Mings who both appeared to be nursing calf injuries in the second half. However Smith has confirmed that neither were serious and he expects them to be fine for Thursday’s game.

Villa are still without Wesley, Tom Heaton and Matt Targett, although the latter is believed to be close to a return. Midfielder John McGinn played a full 90 minutes on Sunday for the first time since returning from an ankle injury and looks to be regaining match sharpness.

Manchester United were forced into a halftime substitution against Bournemouth last weekend after Victor Lindelof picked up a back injury and Solskjaer admitted that the Swede may not be fit to start against Villa.

Eric Bailly is the most likely to take his place alongside Harry Maguire, while Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones are still ruled out with long-term injuries.

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Aston Villa vs Manchester United: What the managers said

Dean Smith (Aston Villa): “[Manchester United] are a very good team, they have improved but there is a lot of heart that we can take from our performance against Liverpool.

“We have to do the same against a team that are full of confidence. The belief is there because [our] players know that they have played well enough to win games.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United): “"Villa have shown they can hold their own since the restart — all their games have been tight.

"They have worked on their shape and their counterattacks are some of the most powerful in the league."

Prediction: The final few games of a Premier League season can throw up some unusual results with teams fighting for survival but it is difficult to see past a United win at Villa Park. Solskjaer has finally found a structure that gets the best out of his attacking talents and they should have too much for Villa. However the visitors did not convince defensively against Bournemouth and with Grealish on top form they can cause problems for the United backline. 1-3