When approaching a match against a team like Manchester United, especially an away one, optimism is rare. Despite this, Villa fans have seen plenty of positives recently and might feel like a point can be pinched from Old Trafford – though Alex Ferguson will be keen to counter any talk of his team’s complacency with the title pretty much wrapped up.
The Quote
” Young people give you a future by creating a strong blend that can last for a few years. Young players will always remember the manager who gave them their first start. The team will improve. Paul had the courage to do it. Even if they go down, Villa have a structure that should bring them right back up. But on the evidence of what we’ve seen recently they’ve every chance of staying up anyway. A lot of teams in this situation pick a team to get something out of the game. Paul Lambert picks a team to win.”
– Sir Alex Ferguson on Aston Villa and Paul Lambert
Match Difficulty Grade
A+ Villa went 26 years without a win at Old Trafford before finally ending the curse in 2009. Lambert’s tactics will have to be spot on and the players will have to be inspired to come away with anything against Fergie’s men.
Form is Temporary
Current Premier League form table (last six games) – Manchester United – 4th / Aston Villa – 8th
Manchester United: Last five Premier League matches at home: W 4, L 1
Aston Villa: Last five Premier League matches away: W 2, D 2, L 1
In the last five meetings at Old Trafford, Villa have won once and lost four times.
Facts to Sweep Under the Carpet
Although Manchester United have conceded more goals at Old Trafford than they would have hoped for, there’s no denying they have made their home a fortress. 14 wins and two losses and no team has got a draw there. Villa will be going there without a clean sheet in 22 matches. It doesn’t read well. If Manchester City lose against Spurs on Sunday, then Manchester United can wrap up the title against Villa in front of their home fans…just in case they needed any more motivation!
What We Pray the Football Gods Will Provide
It’s often noticed that Villa seem to make one big mistake per match, that ultimately effects the amount of points Villa get from the game. The team simply needs to iron these mistakes out. If we can show composure against Manchester United and display the fighting spirit that has seen us rise quickly in the form table, we might be able to get a result, though this young Villa team will have to give the performance of their lives. We’re due a game without a defensive mixup/mistake…
Why Villa are Totally 100% Going to Win
While our failure to keep clean sheets has been frustrating, we’ve made up for our lack of goals at the start of the season with 10 goals in our last five games. We knocked two past Manchester United early in the season, so who’s to say we can’t do it again? Crucially, Gabby Agbonlahor is back from injury. One player who always seems to perform well against United and the memorable scorer of the winner at Old Trafford in 2009. United can be rattled and to be perfectly honest aren’t all that. Just look at their Champion’s League performances in recent years. They will win the league this year due to Citeh’s largely poor campaign and a weakish league on the whole. A draw, or even more, might not be unthinkable, and a result in Manchester would bode very well indeed for the rest of the season. UTV.
Follow Lewis on Twitter on @rymondfootball
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