On December 26th, 2023, Rasmus Hojlund opened his Premier League account with a fantastic volley to beat Aston Villa. We can only hope for more of the same heading into a crucial game on Sunday. A win for United would lessen the gap between these two teams from 8 to 5 points.

Historical Highlight

En route to a Premier League title, Manchester United picked up a Boxing Day win over Aston Villa in the 2000-2001 season. The king of late goals, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, headed home a cross from David Beckham in the 85th minute to give United a 1-0 win. This win helped United retain an 8-point lead that was never relented as they won a 3rd straight Premier League title.

Current Form

In the Premier League, Aston Villa is coming off of a completely dominant performance against Sheffield United that righted the ship after a loss against Newcastle. In midweek, Aston Villa was outclassed by Chelsea in the F.A Cup and will potentially bring in heavy legs to Sunday’s fixture. Ollie Watkins has been an unstoppable force this season, with 11 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League and will surely be a player United will need to keep quiet.

Meanwhile, Manchester United have finally won back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since November. The 7 goals that United have scored in the past 2 Premier League games are more than they had in the previous 6 combined. Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho, and Kobbie Mainoo have all been in top form and will look to continue in a tough away match.

Team News

Manchester United will be without several important players on Sunday. Lisandro Martinez injured his knee and will be out for at least 8 weeks, just as he returned and helped lead the team to two wins. Other players out include Mason Mount, Tyrell Malacia, and Anthony Martial. Victor Lindelof has returned which gives Ten Hag plenty to think about when choosing his backline this weekend.

For Villa, Pau Torres has now returned to give a boost in the back needed after Ezri Konsa picked up an injury. Lucas Digne has yet to return after a hamstring injury picked up against United in the Boxing Day match.

Predicted United Lineup

GK: Andre Onana
Defenders: Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, Diogo Dalot
Midfielders: Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes
Attackers: Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford

Match Prediction

In a critical match, Manchester United to pick up a third consecutive Premier League win. United will win 2-1 in a hard-fought match left to be decided in the second half, with goals coming from Hojlund and Casemiro. On the other side, Ollie Watkins will grab his 12th Premier League goal of the season.

One Bold Prediction

Amad Diallo will come off of the bench to assist the winner in this match. United fans have been waiting in anticipation for him to get a chance to show why he was brought into the club back in 2021. On Twitter this week, Fabrizio Romano reported that there were positive conversations between Amad and Ten Hag that kept him at the club in January. His chance is coming.

Drop your predicted lineup and result in the comments!