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Aston Villa vs Man Utd news: Gerrard looking to gain revenge at Villa Park

Steven Gerrard

Aston Villa and Manchester United collide for the second time in a week and Steven Gerrard will be hoping to dent in United's Champions League hopes.

Villa will be looking for revenge after a cruel FA Cup exit to Ralf Rangnick's side.

Scott McTominay's goal was the difference in the third round tie at Old Trafford but it was far from convincing.

Ollie Watkins hit the bar, Danny Ings had a goal controversially ruled out by VAR and David de Gea made some impressive saves to spare United's blushes.

Manchester United need victory to keep within touching distance of their top four battle while Steven Gerrard's Villa will be hoping to get back to winning ways.

When: Saturday, January 15, 17:30 GMT

Where: Villa Park

Where to watch: Sky Sports

Follow this game via our score centre

Who is the referee for Aston Villa vs Man Utd?

David Coote will be in charge of Saturday evening's game and Aston Villa fans have a right to be concerned.

It is Coote's first game in charge of a Man United match since November 2020 against West Bromwich Albion.

A VAR decision saw Coote reverse a decision to award West Brom a penalty following a clear foul by Bruno Fernandes. United went on to win 1-0 thanks to a Fernandes penalty.

Season stats 2021/22: Premier League matches (4), yellows (11), reds (2), penalties (3)

Recent form

Villa have tasted four defeats in their last five fixtures in all competitions but in that run, they have played Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. 

Meanwhile, Man United will be looking to bounce back after a recent 1-0 defeat to Wolves in the Premier League. Ralf Rangnick has come under scrutiny following a set of unconvincing performances since taking over.

They do, however, have three wins in their last five games.

Man Utd and Aston Villa players in form

David de Gea has rediscovered the form which saw him hailed as the best goalkeeper in the world before FIFA's 2018 World Cup.

After a couple of inconsistent seasons, the Spaniard has kept Dean Henderson out of the team with some match-winning performances this season and inspired his club into the fourth round of the FA Cup with some superb saves. 

Ollie Watkins has hit the ground running at Villa since the arrival of Steven Gerrard with three goals and an assist in seven Premier League games.

Last three matches

Manchester United 1-0 Aston Villa (January 10, 2022)
Scott McTominay's header in the eighth minute secured victory for Man United in the third round of the FA Cup.

Aston Villa dominated large periods of the clash but were unable to take any of their chances. The closest they got was through Danny Ings, who scored but had the goal chalked off following a VAR check by Michael Oliver.

The referee - who took spent a considerable amount of time watching the footage - eventually ruled a foul on Edinson Cavani during the build-up to the goal.

Manchester United 0-1 Aston Villa (September 25, 2021)

Kortney Hause was the hero in the dying minutes as he scored a powerful header to earn Dean Smith's Aston Villa a famous win.

Bruno Fernandes had the chance to score a dramatic equaliser in the 93rd minute after Man United were awarded a penalty.

However, the midfielder was unable to convert, blazing his shot over the bar to give Villa their first victory at Old Trafford in 12 years.

Aston Villa 1-3 Manchester United (May 9, 2021)

Goals from Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani sealed a second half comeback for Manchester United.

The win meant that Man United were guaranteed a top four finish in 2020/21 with four games to go, and more importantly, they had qualified for the Champions League for a second successive season.

Last 10 matches

Man Utd wins: 7

Draws: 2

Aston Villa wins: 1

Man Utd scored: 17

Aston Villa scored: 7

Managers' thoughts:

Steven Gerrard: "If we can find a similar level of performance, be a little bit more ruthless in the final third and the big calls on the night go in our favour, I've got no doubt we can get the result we want."
Ralf Rangnick: "As I said, in the first instance, it was about getting results, points. We were all distracted by the defeat to Wolves. It is now about getting results and getting as many points as we can.
"It is about balance. How offensive can we play without conceding too many goals?"

Predicted Aston Villa vs Man Utd teams

Manchester United will be with Scott McTomminay who has arguably been their most in-form outfield player in recent games. The Scot, alongside Luke Shaw, will both miss the trip due to suspension. 

The good news for the Red Devils is that Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to return to the fold after recovering from a muscle injury.

Philippe Coutinho is expected to be on the Villa bench after completing his loan move to the Midlands club from Barcelona for the rest of the season earlier this week. Other signing Lucas Digne - who made a dig towards Rafael Benitez on his Villa arrival - could also start in place of Matt Targett.

Aston Villa predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Sanson, Douglas Luiz, J Ramsey; Buendia, Watkins; Ings.

Man United predicted XI (4-2-2-2): De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Varane, Telles, Fred, Matic, Sancho, Greenwood, Ronaldo, Cavani

Aston Villa vs Man Utd prediction

Aston Villa have a torrid record against Manchester United with just one win in their last 10 meetings.
However, Ollie Watkins' pace terrified United's defence on Monday and he can do that once again but this time convert. Expect a score draw.

Read more: The Analyst - Which teams do the Premier League referees support?

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