You again? Yes, familiarity breeds contempt as Manchester United and Aston Villa lock horns again, this time in the League Cup. Sunday saw the Villans, on their home ground, thrash United 3-1 in the Premier League competition.
Now the scene shifts to the Theatre of Dreams, and to the junior varsity of the two cup competitions, as both sides stage their penultimate matches before the World Cup break. Let’s preview!
Manchester United vs Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Thurs Nov 10, 8pm Old Trafford
Competition: EFL Cup 3rd round
United Starting XI Prediction: go here
After Extra Time Pod: Apple Spotify
Team News for Both Sides
Let’s start with United, where Jadon Sancho (undisclosed illness) and Antony (unspecified knock) are both doubts. Given the lack of importance/seriousness of this competition, we’re guessing that neither one will be risked here. Meanwhile Raphael Varane remains out, but the news here is that he could actually be fit in time to be in contention for France’s World Cup squad. Brandon Williams and Axel Tuanzebe remain sidelined. Flipping over to the visiting Villans, Philippe Coutinho and Diego Carlos remain on the sidelines.
They also have two cup-tied players to contend with in this game, via Jan Bednarek and Leander Dendoncker. Both are unavailable in this one, because they represented Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, respectively, in the second round of this cup competition already.
So there is that, which could provide some selection issues for newly minted manager Unai Emery.
Paul M. Banks is the Owner/Manager of The Sports Bank and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly contributed to WGN News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.