Man Utd vs Aston Villa preview: Carabao Cup, team news, in-game clips and free match highlights.
On Thursday, four days after defeating Manchester United in the Premier League, Aston Villa will travel to Old Trafford to face the Red Devils in the third round of the English Football League Cup.
To started his stay at Villa Park, Unai Emery guided his side to a 3-1 win over Erik ten Hag’s squad on the weekend. The Spaniard is no stranger to success in knockout events.
Former Arsenal and Villarreal manager Unai Emery continued his winning ways against Manchester United in his first game as the Red Devils’ manager in the West Midlands, leading his team to a 3-1 victory.
Man United’s nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions came to a painful end at Villa Park; as goals from Leon Bailey, Lucas Digne, and Jacob Ramsey—the latter going from zero to hero following his own goal—sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Less than a day later, the 20-time English champions were dealt another blow when they were pitted against Barcelona in the Europa League’s knockout stage playoffs. However, Ten Hag’s squad cannot focus on their European campaign while they plot their vengeance on Aston Villa.
United have won the EFL Cup five times, most recently in the 2016–17 season under Jose Mourinho. Since then; they have twice reached the semifinals and twice been ousted in the third round, most recently losing to another claret and blue team, West Ham United, in the 2017–18 tournament.
The Red Devils have won their past three matches in front of their home fans in all competitions, and they have maintained a clean sheet in their last five home matches in a row. This should give them renewed confidence in their defensive abilities as they return to Old Trafford.
💬 Erik was asked about the fitness of @Sanchooo10, @Antony00 and @AnthonyMartial in today's fan press conference…#MUFC || #CarabaoCup
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 9, 2022
However, Man United have lost their last three EFL Cup games at the Theatre of Dreams, and there’s no reason; for Villa fans to doubt that their team can repeat Sunday’s incredible performance.
No sense of complacency should enter into play for the Lions against Manchester United at Old Trafford, as Emery is a serial Europa League winner and reached the Champions League semi-finals with Villarreal.
The club from the West Midlands has won the EFL Cup five times before, most recently in the 1995–96 season; they also reached the final of the 2020 edition, where they lost to Manchester City; and they were eliminated in the third round by Chelsea in the previous year.
After advancing past the second round with a 4-1 win against Bolton Wanderers; Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery now has the task of breaking a five-game winless run away from home for Aston Villa, who had failed to score in three of their last four away games.
There have been four previous matches between Man United and Aston Villa in the EFL Cup; including the 1994 and 2010 finals. The Lions have won three of the four meetings, including both third-round meetings.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Dubravka; Dalot, Martinez, Maguire, Malacia; Fred; McTominay; Elanga, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial;
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Olsen; Cash, Chambers, Mings, Digne; Kamara; McGinn, Ramsey; Bailey, Watkins, Buendia;
Man Utd vs Aston Villa Match Prediction
While Villa can certainly take huge confidence from Sunday’s result, Man United’s stellar defensive streak at home coupled with the visitors’ shortcomings on the road should make this a much more competitive affair.
With changes expected on both ends, we would not be surprised to see a score draw come the end of the 90 minutes, and Villa could very well suffer a second successive penalty-shootout exit in the EFL Cup as Ten Hag’s side advance to round four.
