Premier League: The Battle for Third is On

Manchester United vs Aston Villa

Third plays fourth on Sunday when the Theatre of Dreams will awaken to the noise of Manchester United against Aston Villa, a humdinger of a Premier League tussle.

This Top 6 clash is one of the pivotal games in the run-in. As with Arsenal and Manchester City fighting for the title, the Red Devils and Villans are in a four-way battle for a likely three more Champions League spots, along with Chelsea and Liverpool. And both these teams are desperate to be in that frame for different reasons.

Manchester United have been in a 12-year slump, and while these are early days for their interim manager Michael Carrick, there is a good feeling around Old Trafford at the moment. Under the new man, they have climbed up from the fringes of the European places to third.

In contrast, after a slow start, Unai Emery’s Villa have been strong all season and have only just ceded their third place after briefly looking like genuine title contenders. 

Both teams lost last week. The Red Devils fell 2-1 to 10-man Newcastle United, while Villa recorded back-to-back league losses, as they were thumped 4-1 by Chelsea.         

 

Talking Points

Carrick calls for a response   

Defeat to Newcastle United last week was a blow to Carrick and a momentum shift for his team, which had been gathering pace with 10 points from the previous three games. The Premier League 2026 betting odds say the Red Devils will get back to winning ways on Sunday. It was Carrick’s first league loss since he took over, and he was bitterly disappointed after the game, saying: “I just don’t think we played well enough tonight. We can’t make any excuses. We all take responsibility. We need to get back to working and be better for the next game.”

One man Carrick can rely on is midfielder Bruno Fernandes, who has stepped up again this season after he turned down a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer. The Portugal star made our SBOTOP list of the best Premier League playmakers, and his statistics clearly put him head and shoulders above the rest, with 14 assists and seven goals, six more assists than any other player in the league.

And one beneficiary has been striker Benjamin Sesko, who has created Premier League 2026 highlights in recent weeks. Sesko’s recent winner against Crystal Palace was his fourth goal in five league games and his ninth in all competitions this season.

 

Villans need a reset

Aston Villa have a Europa League clash away to French side Lille on Thursday night, and they will head to France low on confidence after losing 2-0 to bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers before being thumped by top four rivals Chelsea.

Emery lamented: “We are now doing something wrong in the structure – it is not strong like it was before. This is now my concern; I will share it with the players. There is still time to recover it.”

There has been a rumour circulating around Birmingham that Emery is unhappy at the club’s modest investment, and he may be eyeing a move away in the summer. But in the meantime, he needs his big players to get back to their best form, notably attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers, who hasn’t scored in his last five matches, and out-of-touch striker Ollie Watkins.

Villa also hope to have influential wing-back Matty Cash fit and available after he suffered a calf strain during the loss to Chelsea last week.      

 

History

The historic Manchester United-Aston Villa results tell a story of Red Devils domination with 43 wins to five, and there have been 15 draws from the last 63 games. At Old Trafford, the tally reads 25 to three with five draws.

Villa won 2-1 when the teams clashed in Birmingham in December, but the last meeting at Old Trafford was a hugely controversial affair, as Emi Martinez was sent off and Villa were denied a goal by VAR. As a result, they missed out on Champions League football this season.  

In terms of recent form, while Villa have won one, drawn two, and lost three of their last six games, the Red Devils are stronger with four wins, one draw, and one defeat. None of these 12 combined games has been goalless, and only two had fewer than two goals.    

 

Betting Tip

I’m greatly tempted to back up my SBOTOP colleague James, our resident Red Devils fan, and predict a Manchester United win at a price of 1.79. Aston Villa are at odds of 4.33, and the Draw is at 3.95.

Carrick has had a week to prepare his team, while Emery has to cope with the Thursday-Sunday routine, and the signs are that the Red Devils will win.

But Aston Villa had a poor run at the beginning of the campaign and suddenly came to life, so I’m plumping for a glut of goals rather than picking a winner.

   

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