Aston Villa are probably the hottest team in the Premier League right now. You can debate whether or not they’re in the league title race, but they won’t care about that. They believe they are, and that’s all that matters to them. Manchester United certainly have their work cut out for them in trying to get a road result this Sunday.
Ruben Amorim’s side have gotten better as the season has gone on, but it doesn’t match the level of improvement that we’ve seen in Aston Villa’s form, as the season has progressed.
Manchester United at Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. December 21, 4:30pm, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Team News for Both Sides: Man United Aston Villa
PL Position, Form: Manchester United 6th, 26 pts, LWDWD Aston Villa 3rd, 33 pts, WWWWW
Google Result Probability: Manchester United 29% Draw 26% Aston Villa 45%
United will have to go with kind of a new look side here, given all the key players who have already departed for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Predicted Starting XIs
Manchester United
Senne Lammens; Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw; Patrick Dorgu, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot; Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount, Benjamin Sesko
Aston Villa
Marco Bizot; Matty Cash, Victor Lindelöf, Ezri Konsa, Ian Maatsen; Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara; John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers; Ollie Watkins
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.