Rob Eddy’s tips for Sunday’s clash at Villa Park include a win for the hosts with goals at both ends.
Aston Villa claimed a memorable victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday and they are aiming to prolong the feelgood factor when they host Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.
Villa are flying high in the league, banking 13 points from their first six games, and they showed they can mix it with the best teams in Europe, beating Bayern 1-0 thanks to a late strike from Jhon Duran.
United, in contrast, are feeling the heat following last weekend’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham and a chaotic Europa League draw away to Porto on Thursday.
Having led 2-0 early on, the Red Devils needed a late equaliser from Harry Maguire to pinch a 3-3 draw and another setback at Villa Park could mean the end of the road for under-pressure manager Erik ten Hag.
Selections
Aston Villa to win & both teams to score @ 5/2
Bruno Fernandes to have 3+ shots @ 1/1
Ollie Watkins to be first goalscorer @ 17/4
Confident hosts should claim entertaining victory
Aston Villa kicked off their Champions League campaign with victories to nil against Young Boys and Bayern Munich but clean sheets have proved more elusive in the Premier League.
Villa drew 2-2 at promoted Ipswich last weekend and both teams have scored in all four of this season’s league wins, against West Ham, Leicester, Everton and Wolves.
That trend suggests Manchester United should be able to get on the scoresheet at Villa Park, where Arsenal won 2-0 last month and Bayern had 17 shots, seven of them on target, on Wednesday.
However, Villa have rediscovered the winning habit – helped by a string of vital late goals from super-sub Duran – while United are at a low ebb.
They were outclassed in 3-0 league defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham and their only victories this term came against Fulham, when they scored an 87th-minute winner, struggling Southampton and League One side Barnsley in the EFL Cup.
United beat Villa 3-2 and 2-1 in last season’s league meetings but they are already six points behind their hosts after six games of the 2024-25 campaign and Villa should claim an entertaining home win.
Fernandes desperate to make amends for disciplinary woes
United skipper Bruno Fernandes has had an eventful few days, having been sent off in last Sunday’s league defeat to Tottenham and in Thursday’s Europa League draw with Porto.
His red card against Spurs was rescinded, allowing him to play at Villa Park, and despite his disciplinary issues he remains a key man for the visitors.
Fernandes is a tempting bet to rack up three or more shots as he had six attempts against Fulham in the season opener and nine in United’s last two away matches at Southampton and Crystal Palace.
The Red Devils’ penalty-taker is a consistent threat for club and country, having seven shots in Portugal’s September Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Scotland and three in each of United’s first two Europa League games.
Watkins can extend Premier League hot streak
Villa’s Colombian forward Duran has had a stunning impact off the bench this season but England striker Ollie Watkins is still the main man for the hosts.
Watkins scored the goal that fired England into the Euro 2024 final, having notched 19 times in 37 league starts for Villa last season.
He was eased into the new campaign, playing just over an hour in each of Villa’s first three league fixtures, but has hit his stride in recent weeks and is a worthy favourite to score first against United.
Watkins has scored four goals from 10 shots in his last three league outings against Everton, Wolves and Ipswich and he can give Villa the perfect start to Sunday’s clash.
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