🔊 Can Aston Villa qualify for the Champions League for the second consecutive season? Their chances look promising, especially with Manchester United unfortunately becoming one of the main point donors in the Premier League. However, a win at Old Trafford won't be enough. They need one of the top three to drop points. Regardless, the visitors will be playing solely for the win, making the favorite in this matchup clear. Nevertheless, we’ll explore different scenarios to ensure a well-founded prediction.

Head-to-Head

📊 Over the last 14 head-to-head encounters, Manchester United hold the advantage with a 64 percent win rate. They remain unbeaten against Aston Villa in five consecutive matches across various competitions. In the first round of the current season, they played out a goalless draw (0-0). The match lacked clear scoring opportunities, so the result was fitting.

Aston Villa have not scored more than two goals in seven consecutive matches at Old Trafford. Scoring 1-2 goals could suffice for them if their defense holds strong. Therefore, consider the bet – Aston Villa total goals under 2.5.

Manchester United Team Overview

🔴 Manchester United have been the biggest disappointment of the season, at least in England. They are winless in eight Premier League matches and continue to break personal negative records. The team has slipped to 16th place and risks being overtaken by Tottenham. They have lost their last three games, failing to score in the last two. Ruben Amorim is trying to shake up the squad by bringing in young players, but to no avail.

🔗 All this effort is aimed at winning the Europa League to secure a Champions League spot. In Europe's second-tier club competition, the Red Devils have indeed looked promising. However, they faced Tottenham in the final, a team also struggling in the Premier League. Ultimately, at San Mamés, Manchester United fell to a side that hasn't won anything since 2008 (0-1).

❗ Bruno Fernandes is the key player for Manchester United. The team's results hinge on him, but he can't secure victories single-handedly. In the match against Tottenham, he was one of the best on the pitch with a rating of 7.1, which aligns with his season average of 7.17. In the Europa League, he was even more outstanding with a rating of 7.72. However, the Portuguese last scored in the Premier League back in March.

Aston Villa Team Overview

🦁 Aston Villa have secured eight wins in their last nine Premier League matches. During this stretch, their only loss was to Manchester City (1-2), with a goal conceded in stoppage time that could prove costly for the team. After being knocked out of the FA Cup by Crystal Palace (0-3), the Villans have focused intently on the Premier League, achieving three recent clean-sheet victories. However, this hasn't been enough yet to break into the coveted top five.

🔗 In the previous round, Aston Villa hosted Tottenham and demonstrated to Manchester United how to handle the Spurs. The team defended almost flawlessly, allowing just three shots on their goal. Meanwhile, they outshot their opponents sixfold, securing a well-deserved 2-0 victory that could have been even more decisive.

❗ Aston Villa's rising star is Morgan Rogers. At 22, he shows remarkable consistency. Over an 11-match span, the England international received a rating below 7.0 only twice—unsurprisingly, during defeats to Manchester City and Crystal Palace, where the entire team underperformed. In his last two matches, Rogers provided crucial assists, which is vital given the team's low scoring rate. For instance, in the recent game against Bournemouth (1-0), he was named Man of the Match. With 8 goals and 10 assists, this is by far the best season for the midfielder.

Latest news

Manchester United

🎙 Manchester United's head coach Ruben Amorim is uncertain about his future following the defeat to Tottenham: "I won't speak about my future right now. Today, we must come to terms with the pain of losing. We were the better team on the pitch. The guys did everything they could to win. At this moment, I just need to share the pain of this defeat with our fans. They deserved more. We still have to decide how to proceed from here."

📌 After the loss to Tottenham, Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana set an unwanted record. He became the first goalkeeper in history to lose three European finals with three different clubs. Truly a curse!

💸 Ruben Amorim will be allocated a transfer budget of around £100 million for the summer. Should they win the Europa League, he was promised double that amount.

❌ Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez will miss the upcoming match due to injuries. However, there's a chance that after the Europa League final defeat, United's lineup might be far from their first-choice squad.

Aston Villa

🎙 Aston Villa's head coach Unai Emery shared his thoughts on the victory over Tottenham: "I'm very pleased – we won and are on a good run, but there's still a lot of work ahead. We need to be prepared and maintain consistency. We finished the season at this stadium with our fans, full of energy and ambition to qualify for European competitions. The chances for the Champions League are still there."

📝 Aston Villa's goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has caught the attention of Barcelona, Atletico, and Manchester United. The club is asking for £40 million. However, it's still unclear who initiated the potential transfer for the Argentine.

❌ In the upcoming match, Marcus Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, will not play due to injury. Aston Villa has no other personnel losses.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The main referee for this match is Thomas Bramall, who has officiated 10 Premier League games this season. On average, he issues 3.4 yellow cards per game. Notably, in 5 of his last 7 matches, he has shown fewer than four cautions.

Head-to-head encounters typically feature a relatively high number of yellow cards. In 8 out of their last 9 meetings, there have been at least three bookings. On the other hand, in Aston Villa's last eight away games, there have been no fewer than four yellow cards. Given this scenario, we minimize risk by suggesting a total of over 3 yellow cards.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

Manchester United have been struggling in their recent Premier League outings. At home, they have failed to score in three consecutive matches. It's daunting to imagine how the team will perform after their Europa League final defeat. Aston Villa have kept clean sheets in four of their last five away games. In such circumstances, a potentially lucrative bet could be Manchester United not to score.

🚩 Corner Prediction

The outcome of the upcoming match will heavily depend on who scores first and when. Nevertheless, Aston Villa need a win. Manchester United also need to make amends with their fans after an all-around disappointing season. Matches involving these teams average around 10 corners. There have been at least 10 corner kicks in 9 of Aston Villa's last 10 away games. Therefore, it makes sense to bet on over 9.5 total corners.

Manchester have been dismal at the season's end. The only bright spot was their Europa League campaign, but even that ended in disappointment for the Red Devils. There are concerns they might completely fall apart after losing the final. Meanwhile, the Villans are on a streak of clean-sheet victories and show no signs of slowing down, with a Champions League spot within reach. The visitors are stronger both on the pitch and mentally. Our bet is on an Aston Villa victory.