Aston Villa vs Man Utd predicted XIs: Confirmed team news and probable lineups
Aston Villa have endured a rocky start to 2024 and, having suffered back-to-back 3-1 defeats at home to Newcastle in the Premier League and Chelsea in the FA Cup, they are on the recovery mission against Manchester United on Sunday.
The Villans still have their sights set on a top-four finish in the Premier League but they have dropped points in four of their last six league matches and will be desperate for a response against the Red Devils.
United may have a patchy profile but they have found some consistency in recent weeks and successive league wins over Wolves and West Ham have renewed their hope of ending the campaign in the Champions League places.
Sharpe backs youthful United trio
Having found the net in his last four Premier League appearances for Man Utd, after failing to score in any of his first 14 games in the competition, Rasmus Højlund is the youngest player to score in four in a row for the Red Devils and the only Danish player for any team to have achieved that feat in the Premier League.
His form has coincided with a settled Man Utd attack with another promising youngster, Alejandro Garnacho, in Erik ten Hag’s starting up. It’s early days, but with fellow teenager Kobbie Mainoo also getting regular minutes, former United forward Lee Sharpe is excited for the future.
“They’re looking amazing. I think Garnacho has set, not only the club but probably the world football fans alight. I think he’s electrifying. He’s quick, he likes to go forward, he’s direct. He scores some unbelievable goals as well as creating assists,” he told Squawka.
“And as long as he can keep his feet on the floor, and there’s been rumours of attitude problems, but you don’t see that on the pitch. I think puts a shift in, he works hard. I think it’s early days, I know we’ve seen Garnacho a little bit more than we have Kobbie Mainoo and we’ve only seen Hojlund since the start of the season.
“So it is early days and you don’t want to get too ahead of yourself. But the potential of these three is absolutely incredible.”
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Aston Villa v Manchester United team news
Aston Villa must cope without defenders Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings, midfielder Emiliano Buendia and striker Jhon Duran, but Lucas Digne could make his return.
Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez is set for another spell on the sidelines while Anthony Martial, Tyrell Malacia and Mason Mount have also been ruled out.
The Red Devils could also be without Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who was unable to finish training on Thursday.
Aston Villa v Manchester United predicted line-ups
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Diego Carlos, Lenglet, Moreno; Kamara, Luiz; Bailey, Tielemans, McGinn; Watkins.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Varane, Shaw; Mainoo, Casemiro; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund.
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