Aston Villa face Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, and Unai Emery has named his starting line-up for the encounter at Old Trafford.
Villa returned to winning ways in midweek after defeating Lille in the first leg of our round-of-16 Europa League tie, and it’s hoped that result will act as a catalyst to start an improved run of form between now and the end of the season.
Aside from the result, there was also a major boost with the return of our skipper, John McGinn, from injury, as he impressed in a late appearance off the bench and it’s hoped that he’s now able to play a key role in the coming months.
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There was a late decision needed on Matty Cash after he missed out on Thursday due to injury, and as per the club’s post below, the Villa right-back hasn’t recovered in time to feature as he is not included in the matchday squad.
Emery makes three changes with Tyrone Mings, Ross Barkley and John McGinn coming in to replace Pau Torres, Douglas Luiz and Jadon Sancho, and so it’s great to see the Villa captain return to the starting line-up after getting valuable minutes in midweek.
It’s a big afternoon for Barkley too as he’ll be tasked with dictating and controlling tempo in midfield alongside Amadou Onana, and with strong options on the bench, there should be confidence in the Villa camp that we can come away with a positive result despite our poor record at Old Trafford over the years.
A win would move us back up above our opponents while stretching the lead over Chelsea after they slipped up on Saturday, and so it’s a crunch clash that Emery and the players will be desperate to produce a big performance in.
How we start this afternoon 🫡 #MUNAVL pic.twitter.com/L8I6EiWIi9
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) March 15, 2026
