Game Week 17 Predictions: Villa to beat Manchester United at Villa Park

Manchester United cannot afford to lose at Villa but, can they stop their hosts' ambition? (Photo credit: Sky Sports) Aston Villa vs Man...

Manchester United cannot afford to lose at Villa but, can they stop their hosts' ambition? (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

Aston Villa vs Manchester United

Villa Park

5:30pm

Aston Villa has a chance to stay closer to the duo of Manchester City and log leaders Arsenal after the frontrunners won their respective games on Saturday.

Manchester City won convincingly at home against West Ham as expected to go top temporarily before Arsenal restored the order late on with a 1-0 professional win over Everton at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium; it’s time for Aston Villa to respond.

Unai Emery’s side has been the best team in the league for a while now, and hosting Manchester United at Villa Park is the next step in proving that they have enough to challenge for the title; this is their chance, and they must take it.

Manchester United continues to swing between brilliance and mediocrity, and you wonder if they’re ever going anywhere under Ruben Amorim. They play once a week, with no European distraction, and they were bundled out of the League Cup at the first hurdle. What is their excuse?

The 8-goal thriller against Bournemouth is a classic example of how United fans have faced frustrations at the hands of their players this season. One moment they were impressive; the next it felt like they’d never seen a ball before. They could even have lost the game if not for some quality goalkeeping.

In the context of this game, Aston Villa will close the gap between them and Arsenal to what it was before the start of the weekend if they win here; they cannot afford to slip off if they have title ambitions. This is also a statement game; a win sends messages to their rivals.

For Manchester United, it’s about saving face and proving that they’re not a washed-up team. They still have the top four in sight; a win here takes them joint 4th with Chelsea, and they would only be behind the world champions on goal difference.

Evann Guessand is the only Aston Villa player who is off to AFCON, but the Red Devils have the trio of Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Nousir Mazraoui in Morocco for their respective countries. How will this affect the two sides?

Manchester United is expected to restore Benjamin Sesko to the starting lineup while Mason Mount continues in his role behind the striker. Ollie Watkins is set to lead the line for the hosts, but if there’s one player the visitors must be wary of, it’s Morgan Rogers.

Verdict: Villa to beat United.