Aston Villa visits Manchester United on Sunday in what is certainly the most crunch clash of the weekend. It’s third place versus fourth place, with both sides level on points at 51. For Aston Villa, team captain John McGinn made his return to action on Thursday, after being out since the middle of January.
McGinn, who missed the last 10 games (across all competitions), replaced Douglas Luiz in the 77′ of the Villans 1-0 win at LOSC in the UEFA Europa League.
Manchester United vs Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday March 15, 3pm, Old Trafford, Stretford, UK
Team News: Manchester United Aston Villa
Premier League Standing: Manchester United 3rd, 51 pts Aston Villa 4th, 51 pts
Aston Villa Team News
Perhaps he’ll make a first team appearance, and go the full 90 at Old Trafford? We’ll just have to wait and see.
“Maybe as a captain, as well, he is adding something more and he is coming back,” Villa manager Unai Emery said heading into the win at Lille. “We are happy and [will] try to recover his rhythm as soon as possible. But [on Thursday] he is here and he can play even in the beginning, or after.”
During the same media session, Emery ruled defender Matty Cash out of Thursday’s Europa League clash, and that casts serious doubt on his involvement this weekend.
Cash is likely to join Boubacar Kamara (knee), Youri Tielemans (ankle) and Andres Garcia (thigh) in the infirmary, as all three of those players are currently sidelined as longer-term injury absentees.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.