Man Utd vs Aston Villa predictions, odds and free bets
Ten Hag must avoid defeats to secure his long-term future at the club, but the visit of title-challenging Villa will present a huge test of United’s resolve.
Whereas United are trending downwards, Villa are a team on the rise under Unai Emery. The Midlands outfit are true contenders for the Premier League title due to their outstanding home form that is starting to spread to their travels too.
Despite their impressive standing in the Premier League table, Villa are underdogs with football betting sites, priced at 2/1 to win at Old Trafford.
United are favourites at odds of 29/20, which is curious given their recent woes. We’ll consider this market and more in our Man Utd vs Aston Villa betting tips selected from the best Premier League odds.
Villa to inflict further Old Trafford woe
United were terrible in their last league match on home soil, slumping to a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
Although the Cherries are one of the most improved teams in the Premier League over the last month, Ten Hag’s men would have fancied their chances of securing the win at Old Trafford.
However, Bournemouth were rampant and the minimal progress made by United from successive wins over Luton and Chelsea was stymied.
Ten Hag cannot rely on any area of his team at the moment.
The Red Devils have either been cut open at the back or toothless in the final third. Their attacking woes are perhaps most concerning after scoring only 10 goals at home in the league all season.
The form of Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund has been hugely disappointing, while Antony and Jadon Sancho are in danger of becoming high-priced flops.
Villa, on the other hand, are a well-oiled machine under Emery.
Their record-breaking home form has been the foundation of their Premier League title challenge, but their away results are improving, carrying a four-match unbeaten run on their travels into the game.
With Ollie Watkins, Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey, Villa have match-winners in the final third. To make their title dream a reality they need to win at places like Old Trafford. We’re backing them to emerge with a win at 2/1 with BetMGM.
McGinn to pose a threat
The game could be an interesting battle in the middle of the park between two Scotland internationals.
Scott McTominay has been the unlikely hero for Manchester United in a number of games this season, scoring vital goals in wins over Brentford and Chelsea.
But, his Scotland team-mate John McGinn has played a huge part in Villa’s rise. The Villa skipper has been the heartbeat of Emery’s side, leading from the front with outstanding performances.
McGinn puts in challenges, plays tidy football and comes up with a goal every now and again. The 29-year-old scored the winner in Villa’s win over Arsenal to take his tally to seven in all competitions.
In the Premier League, he has registered 20 attempts at goal and hit the target with eight of his efforts.
McGinn has a deadly accurate left foot and is a danger in and around the penalty area. He was once a reported Man Utd transfer target, but he remained at Villa Park and will be thankful for the decision.
We figure he’ll test Andre Onana at least once between the United posts with at least one shot on target at odds of 17/10 with Unibet.
Offsides galore at Old Trafford?
Part of Villa’s success has been their incredible use of the offside trap.
Although their high defensive line cost them dearly against Newcastle on the opening day of the season, resulting in a 5-1 defeat at St. James' Park, since then their line has been near perfect.
After 17 matches this season, Villa had caught their opponents offside on 82 occasions, 26 times clear of their nearest rivals Tottenham.
It all makes for a perfect storm at Old Trafford as United’s players have been caught offside 42 times this season - only Liverpool have seen more players stray beyond the final defender.
Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford and Hojlund will all have to be careful to avoid Villa’s trap. But, discipline is not United’s forte, especially in recent weeks.
After looking at the line for offsides at betting sites, we’re backing the hosts to collate over 4.5 offsides in the game at odds of 7/5 with BetUK.
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Simon Sinclair is an experienced sports journalist, who has written for national publications for football, cricket, NFL and many more. He contributes tips on a wide range of sports for The Independent.
