Premier League: Aston Villa vs Manchester United betting preview

Premier League matchday 24 will be highlighted by an intriguing affair between fourth-place Aston Villa and sixth-place Manchester United on Sunday, February 11th. This is a major clash for both sides, with Villa looking to stay in a Champions League spot, while United is trying to catch them. The Lions are coming off a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in their FA Cup replay and will be hungry for a positive result here on home soil. As for the Red Devils, they’re starting to find their form, hammering West Ham 3-0 last weekend. Below, we’ll preview the game.

Head-to-head history

Villa and United have met 140 times in total, with the Red Devils winning on 81 occasions. The Lions have 25 wins. 34 games ended level, too. In recent memory, Man United is enjoying a three-game winning streak against Villa, including a thrilling 3-2 victory in the fall at Old Trafford.

Aston Villa

What a campaign for the Villains. Absolutely no one could’ve predicted this side would be fighting for a Champions League spot, but that’s the reality. Unai Emery has done a phenomenal job this term with his squad and it shows in their impressive 14-4-5 record in the Premier League, which puts them just five points off first place Liverpool. While simply getting into the UCL will be the goal, there’s no doubt the Lions also have the title on their minds.

Leading the way up top for Villa is Englishman Ollie Watkins. We’ve seen moments of brilliance in past years from him, but this season he’s on a whole new level. Watkins has bagged 11 goals and also assisted 10, serving as Emery’s most reliable finisher and provider. Jamaica international Leon Bailey is also firing on all cylinders, hitting the back of the net seven times and tallying six assists.

Villa comes into Sunday’s clash with a 2-1-2 record in their last five outings. The defeat to Chelsea was disappointing, but the Premier League is surely the focus. Before that, the Villains thrashed Sheffield 5-0 last Saturday, with Watkins scoring once and assisting two other goals. Bailey, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, and Alex Moreno all got in on the action, too. Villa is sitting at +115 odds against United at 888sport.

Manchester United

The Red Devils have been the epitome of inconsistency all term and they’ve faced heavy criticism for it. Erik ten Hag’s group crashed out in the Champions League group stages in embarrassing fashion and haven’t exactly lit up the Premier League, either. That being said, it looks like this side has turned things around lately.

United is 3-1-1 in their last five league appearances, with back-to-back wins over West Ham and Wolves, scoring seven goals in the process. The victory over the Hammers saw summer signing Ramsus Hojlund opened the scoring before Alejandro Garnacho netted a brace to seal the deal for the hosts. In fact, the Red Devils have won four of their previous five matches across all competitions. A 2-2 draw with Tottenham is the only time during that span they didn’t grab the full points.

Although this fixture is crucial for Villa, it’s even more important for United. At the moment, ten Hag’s men are eight points behind the Lions, so a positive result does feel like an absolute must here if the Red Devils are going to try and get into a UCL spot. The visitors have very similar odds to Villa at all soccer betting sites.