Aston Villa Vs. Manchester United: Erik Ten Hag's Life Match Against The Villans Who Are On Fire
JAKARTA - The match between Aston Villa and Manchester United in the Premier League which will take place at Villa Park on Sunday 6 September is a crucial moment for Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. The Dutch coach is under great pressure to get a positive result after a series of poor results that put his position at risk.
Manchester United just had a dramatic match in the Europa League with a 3-3 draw against Porto last Thursday. The Red Devils had a two-goal lead, but then conceded three goals before Harry Maguire scored the equalizer in the final minute. These results extend their winless record to four games in all competitions.
On the other hand, Unai Emery's Aston Villa is in an outstanding form, especially after a surprise 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League. This victory confirmed Villa's position as one of the teams to take into account this season, with six wins from their last seven matches in all competitions.
For Ten Hag, the match against Villa could determine his fate at Old Trafford. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the new owner of Manchester United, is rumored to be present at Villa Park to witness this match firsthand. Failure to achieve a positive result could be the end of Ten Hag's career at Manchester United.
Manchester United had to play without several key players due to injury. Luke Shaw (betis), Badminton Malacia (lutut), and Leny Yoro (kaki) are ruled out, while Mason Mount is doubtful after suffering a head injury against Tottenham Hotspur. Bruno Fernandes, who received a red card in the Europa League, can still appear in the Premier League.
In addition, Kobbie Mainoo has returned to training after injury, but will most likely only play off the bench. Marcus Rashford, who impressed in the first half against Porto, is expected to start again with Alejandro Garnacho in the wing sector.
In the Aston Villa camp, the victory over Bayern also claimed casualties. Jacob Ramsey suffered a groin injury and is doubtful, while Amadou Onana (hamstring) and Leon Bailey also faced fitness problems. However, coach Unai Emery is optimistic Onana will recover on time for this match. Badminton Mings (lutut), Boubacar Kamara (lutut), and John McGinn (paha) remain absent.
Emery will probably pick Jhon Duran, who scored the winning goal against Bayern, for a duet with target Watkins up front if Ramsey can't play.
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Aston Villa is in a very good period, with a record of six wins from the last seven games in all competitions, while their only draw comes in 2-2 against Ipswich Town in the Premier League. They are currently fifth in the league standings and are still competing for the top spot.
On the other hand, Manchester United are in a bad trend. They have only won three of the 10 Premier League games this season and are currently in 13th place in the standings. In addition, they have not tasted victory in the last four matches in all competitions.
Aston Villa who are in good form and Manchester United who are under great pressure, made this match expected to take place fiercely. If Villa are able to maintain their defense consistency and take advantage of the gaps in Manchester United's vulnerable backline, Unai Emery's side can secure three points at home.
However, Manchester United still has a chance if Ten Hag is able to improve his team's performance, especially in terms of defense which has become a major problem in recent matches.
Player Composition Forecast
Aston Villa: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Rogers, Barkley, Tielemans, Philogene; Duran, Watkins
Manchester United: Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Maguire, Dalot; Eriksen, Ugarte; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Zirkzee