Man United have been on a roll in 2024 picking up four wins in their previous five matches and Ten Hag will want to extend this run when his side head to Villa Park on Sunday.
The last time these two sides met was on Boxing Day of last year and it was an 82nd minute winner from Hojlund which handed three points to the Red Devils. On paper, Manchester United have the side to pick up another win but Villa under Unai Emery have really strong this season so it will be anything but a walk in the park.
Villa have hit a rough patch of form lately but they are still above Man United on the Premier League table and if the away side fails to win on Sunday then they could slip to the eighth spot on the table.
Man United will have to play each game like a final from now until the end of the season if they want to finish in the top four and while a fifth-place finish could be enough to secure UCL football this time around but the position he is in right now, ETH cannot afford to take any gambles
Manchester United’s team news and injuries:
The first big miss will obviously be that of Lisandro Martinez who picked up another knee injury and the defender is expected to be on the sidelines for around two months.
“It is a setback, of course,” the manager said, in his pre-match press conference. “Licha was just returning.
“We think he will still be back by the end of the season. There are games to play so, as a squad, we have to replace him. We have very good players in that position who will play there and perform there and, as a squad, we have to deal with it.”
Martinez’s absence means Harry Maguire will come back into the side and partner Varane in central defence.
Amrabat is back in England but Mainoo’s stellar performances mean the loanee will remain on the bench and most likely his Old Trafford dream is over.
Wan-Bissaka was close to making a return but he might have suffered another setback in training while Mason Mount, Malacia and Anthony Martial remain sidelined.
“Aaron Wan-Bissaka, today, was training but then he dropped out,” the Man United manager added. “So I don’t know, in this moment, where he is and what is the diagnosis.
“Hopefully, he is not too bad. And Mason and Ty are not ready to return to the squad.”
Garnacho has taken over the right wing and the Argentine has done wonderfully on that side so unless there’s an injury, the manager isn’t going to change this system.
Man United predicted line up vs Aston Villa:
Predicted Starting line up(4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Shaw; Mainoo, Casemiro; Fernandes, Garnacho, Marcus Rashford; Hojlund.
