Premier League: Pressure Mounting on the Red Devils to Secure Top Four

Manchester United vs Aston Villa

Manchester United’s top-four grip is not yet fully secured, and they have a big test upcoming this Sunday when Aston Villa visit Old Trafford.

The Red Devils are currently fourth in the Premier League standings with 60 points, and they have two games in hand. But additional matches do not guarantee more points, so they have to earn them against a transformed Aston Villa squad.

Aston Villa have come a long way this season, moving to sixth place with 54 points, level with Tottenham. Unai Emery’s men are on a mission, and they haven’t experienced defeat in quite a while.

A positive outcome in this match will be helpful for either side. A win here would create a bigger cushion for Manchester United, while Aston Villa will pass Tottenham for fifth if they claim all three points.

Talking Points

Manchester United lack depth

The biggest takeaway from last night’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham is that Manchester United have to address their depth this summer.

The game was basically a tale of two halves. The Red Devils took a two-goal lead when Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford scored in the first half, but it all fell apart in the second half when Tottenham salvaged a point via goals from Pedro Porro and Heung-Min Son.

Erik ten Hag made several substitutions in the second half, and their performance dropped off. Fred, Anthony Martial, Wout Weghorst, and Tyrell Malacia all came in but didn’t make much of an impact.

In Tottenham’s second goal, Malacia was caught out of position, which gave Harry Kane the opportunity to link up with Son for the equaliser.

Manchester United are going to be busy in the summer transfer window, regardless of whether they’ll have a new owner by then, to address their needs to become a legitimate title contender next season.

For now, Erik ten Hag must make the most of what he’s got. The good news is that there are no new injuries for the team, so he’s likely to maintain the same starting XI against Aston Villa.

Aston Villa’s surge under Emery

Aston Villa are in contention for a European berth because they haven’t lost in the Premier League for 10 straight matches. Their last defeat was a 4-2 result against league leaders Arsenal on February 18.

Ollie Watkins has been the main beneficiary of Emery’s tactics, as he has emerged as their lead centre-forward this season. He has been involved in 14 goals in 2023 alone, which is more than any other player in the league right now, scoring 11 and dishing out three assists.

Other than Watkins, Douglas Luiz, Leon Bailey, Emiliano Buendia, and Jacob Ramsey are all producing at a high level as well, contributing 19 goals and 17 assists this season. Under Emery, their attack has been more fluid, making them a threat against Manchester United’s shorthanded backline this weekend.

History

Manchester United have lost two of their last three Premier League meetings against Aston Villa (D1), which is as many as they had in their previous 51 (W37, D12). Should Aston Villa win again on Sunday, it’ll be their first league double over Manchester United since 1954-55.

When these two sides met in November during their reverse fixture, the Villans scored a 3-1 victory over the Red Devils, as Leon Bailey, Lucas Digne, and Jacob Ramsey scored, although Ramsey’s own goal prevented a clean sheet.

The Red Devils avenged the defeat five days later when they notched a 4-2 victory over the Villans to eliminate them in the EFL Cup third round.

Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, and Scott McTominay scored for Manchester United, while Aston Villa benefitted from a goal by Ollie Watkins and an own goal by Diogo Dalot.

Betting Tip

Since Manchester United are playing at home, the SBOTOP Premier League 2023 odds like their chances to win this weekend. The hosts are installed at 1.77, whereas Aston Villa are priced at 4.00, and a draw is at 3.50 in the 1X2 market.

But Manchester United have been inconsistent lately due to fatigue, so it’s hard to fully trust them at this point. We figure that this is going to be a tight contest, so we’ll be backing these two sides to provide us with goals that will be included in the Premier League 2023 highlights reel. A look at their most recent encounters indicates that this is going to be high-scoring, so going for either Over 2.50 at 1.65 or even Total Goal 4-6 at 2.93 is something to think about.

 

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