As the pressure continues to mount on Erik ten Hag in the Manchester United dugout, the Dutch coach could well be out of a job if his side fall to defeat at the hands of Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Red Devils have made a truly dismal start to Ten Hag’s third campaign in charge, with any good-will left over from last season’s FA Cup triumph having dissipated. Following an underwhelming 3-3 draw with Porto in the Europa League midweek, time is running out for the former Ajax manager.
A Premier League trip to an in-form and confident Aston Villa side is the last thing Ten Hag would have wanted before the October international break. The Villans are already six points better off than Man Utd this season and head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a memorable and hard-fought 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Unai Emery has proven himself to be everything that Ten Hag hasn’t at Man Utd, but it was the latter who enjoyed the last laugh in last season’s meetings. Late goals home and away helped Man Utd do the double over the Midlands side in two dramatic fixtures.
Here is 90min’s guide to a tantalising clash at Villa Park.
Aston Villa vs Man Utd H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Aston Villa |
Man Utd |
|---|---|
|
Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern Munich – 02/10/24 |
Porto 3-3 Man Utd – 03/10/24 |
|
Ipswich 2-2 Aston Villa – 29/09/24 |
Man Utd 0-3 Tottenham – 29/09/24 |
|
Wycombe 1-2 Aston Villa – 24/09/24 |
Man Utd 1-1 Twente – 25/09/24 |
|
Aston Villa 3-1 Wolves – 21/09/24 |
Crystal Palace 0-0 Man Utd – 21/09/24 |
|
Young Boys 0-3 Aston Villa – 17/09/24 |
Man Utd 7-0 Barnsley – 17/09/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra, NOW TV |
|
United States |
fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, Telemundo |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada |
Villa managed to beat Bayern on Wednesday despite suffering three injuries against the German giants. Jacob Ramsey, Leon Bailey and Amadou Onana were all withdrawn with fitness concerns and Emery has confirmed all three are doubts for Sunday – although Onana is likely to be available.
Emery is still without skipper John McGinn as well as long-term absentees Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara.
Jhon Duran scored the winner midweek and again proved his efficiency when coming off the bench. He’s unlikely to displace Ollie Watkins this weekend but must surely enter the starting XI sooner rather than later.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Man Utd (4-4-2): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Philogene, Onana, Tielemans, Buendia; Rogers, Watkins.
Bruno Fernandes will be available for Man Utd on Sunday after his suspension following a red card against Tottenham Hotspur was overturned. The Portuguese then got himself sent off against Porto as well, but that suspension will only be served in UEFA competition.
Kobbie Mainoo couldn’t feature in the midweek draw and Ten Hag has admitted that he is a doubt to face Villa at the weekend. Fellow midfielder and compatriot Mason Mount could also be sidelined after injuring himself against Spurs.
Ten Hag is still without four defenders, with Leny Yoro, Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof in the treatment room.
Man Utd predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez, Dalot; Mainoo, Eriksen; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund.
Could Sunday be the end for Ten Hag? Very possibly.
A trip to Villa Park has never been a simple fixture but it’s become increasingly difficult to navigate as the Midlands side make their continued ascent under Emery. Their high-intensity approach and tactical superiority should see them pour yet more misery on Man Utd.
The Red Devils showed once again midweek that their defence can be chaotic, disjointed and amateurish when put under significant pressure. The likes of Watkins, Duran and Morgan Rogers will be aiming to punish any sloppiness.
Whether a defeat on Sunday spells the end for Ten Hag remains to be seen, but the Dutchman could be handed one final humiliation at Villa Park.
Prediction: Aston Villa 3-0 Man Utd
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