Manchester United face Aston Villa at Old Trafford in a crucial clash in the race for a top-four finish.
Victory could see Man Utd go third if Newcastle lose elsewhere, whilst Villa could go fifth and three points behind the Red Devils with Tottenham not in action until Sunday teatime.
Team News
Harry Maguire is a doubt for Man Utd after he missed their 2-2 draw at Tottenham with a knock.
Tom Heaton, Alejandro Garnacho (both ankle), Phil Jones, Donny van de Beek (both knee), Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane (both foot), Scott McTominay (knock) and Mason Greenwood (personal) remain absent.
Villa have no fresh injury concerns to report after their midweek win against Fulham.
Matty Cash (muscle) and Leon Bailey (hamstring) are unlikely to be risked in this match for fitness reasons, but Boubacar Kamara (foot), Philippe Coutinho (muscle) and Jed Steer (Achilles) remain absent.
When is Kick-Off?
Man Utd face Villa in a 2pm kick-off on Sunday 30 April at Old Trafford, albeit untelevised in UK.
Stat Attack
- Man Utd have won two of their last five league meetings against Villa (W2, D1, L2).
- Villa have claimed four points in their last five league visits to Man Utd (W1, D1, L3).
- In two meetings across all competitions this season, the away team has scored via an own goal but lost the match overall (Villa’s Jacob Ramsey in league & Utd’s Diogo Dalot in Carabao Cup).
- Utd haven’t conceded in any of their last four league matches at home (W3, D1).
- Ollie Watkins has been involved in 20 goals for Villa this season, having produced 14 goals and 6 assists in 32 appearances.
Prediction
The past week-and-a-half have been tough for Man Utd with three contrastable displays as their hectic schedule continues to catch up with them, so it is tricky to predict which sort of team will show up after conceding from 2-0 up at Tottenham to eventually draw on Thursday evening.
Villa meanwhile have had a further 48 hours to prepare for this game after delivering a clinical all-round win against Fulham, where they were dominant in attack if unlucky not to win penalty decisions amidst excellent defending after an early scare.
Old Trafford though has been a daunting place for Villa to visit over the years but having won their home meeting back in November, Unai Emery’s Villains should hold little fear given their form and I fancy them to get a draw if they can trouble Utd’s sloppy defence.
Prediction: Manchester United 1-1 Aston Villa
Result: Manchester United 1-0 Aston Villa
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