Manchester United will be looking to turn their fortunes around when they visit Aston Villa on Sunday, hoping for a result that could ease the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag. The Red Devils have endured a difficult period, going four matches without a victory across all competitions, including two league defeats. This poor run has seen them drop to 13th place in the Premier League table.
However, there’s a sense of injustice surrounding their 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham last weekend. The match started poorly for ten Hag’s side, conceding a goal in the third minute. Things went from bad to worse when Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off before halftime. The Premier League has since overturned referee Chris Kavanagh’s decision to dismiss the influential Portuguese midfielder for a high tackle, meaning Fernandes will be available for the trip to the Midlands.
Despite the overturned red card, ten Hag acknowledges that the harsh refereeing decision is not the sole reason for their recent slump. They have also struggled in the UEFA Europa League, drawing their opening two matches in the group stage, including a 3-3 thriller against FC Porto on Thursday night. “We have to improve, that is for sure,” ten Hag said. “But also, you can say we were very disciplined and for the first 25 minutes (against Spurs) in positioning. We created chances, at the right moment, we speeded up the game so it was not just indiscipline. Definitely, we can improve and we have to improve if we want to make it a success.”
Manchester United’s visit to Villa Park comes at a time when Aston Villa are riding high. They are currently in excellent form, coming off a 1-0 home win over German giants Bayern Munich in their UEFA Champions League clash on Wednesday. The victory was secured by substitute Jhon Duran’s stunning strike in the 79th minute. This win keeps Villa perfect in the Champions League group stage, as they aim to avoid the fate of last season’s participants, Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion. Both clubs experienced regression in the league standings after their European commitments.
Villa manager Unai Emery remains focused on domestic consistency. “To be consistent in the Premier League is the first objective I have,” Emery said. “We are playing Champions League and we enjoyed it a lot on Wednesday and the first match we played in Bern. We won two matches and we have six points, but it’s not changing my mind or my perspective.”
With four league goals scored as a substitute, Duran could be in line for his first start if Emery decides to rotate his squad for the final league game before the October international break. The match promises to be a fascinating encounter between two clubs with contrasting fortunes at the moment. Manchester United will be desperate for a win to arrest their slide, while Aston Villa will be looking to maintain their impressive form and push for a top spot in the Premier League standings.
