Aston Villa face Man Utd at Old Trafford on Sunday as we continue our pursuit of a European qualification spot this season.
Villa started the day in sixth place in the Premier League table, but with our rivals below us having games in hand, it’s imperative that we continue our impressive form under Unai Emery in the final five games of the campaign.
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It’s certainly going to be difficult this weekend given the quality of the opposition, but having won at Old Trafford last season and following our 3-1 win over Erik ten Hag’s side back in November, coupled with our current 10-game unbeaten run, confidence and belief should be high going into the encounter.
Emery confirmed on Friday that Matty Cash, Boubacar Kamara, Philippe Coutinho and Leon Bailey remain sidelined, and so the expectation on Sunday morning was that Villa would name an unchanged starting XI.
That was indeed the case, as per the club’s tweet below, with Jacob Ramsey named in the line-up after slight concern over his condition, having rolled his ankle in the win over Fulham on Tuesday night before he was replaced in the latter stages.
Nevertheless, he starts in midfield, while there is one significant change on the bench in that Emery has only named one goalkeeper this time, having had two in reserve through most of his tenure thus far.
Kadan Young, Tommi O’Reilly and Seb Revan all make the cut to give us plenty of youth options on the bench, but it’s hoped that the Villa starting XI can get the job done as we target three more vital points.
There’s no need to change a winning formula or side unless necessary, but after Emery conceded in midweek that there was a bit of tiredness in the second half against Fulham, it’s hoped that the players have been able to recharge during the week and will be able to put in another big shift on Sunday.
Your Aston Villa today. 👊 #MUNAVL pic.twitter.com/rEcV4no8D2
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 30, 2023
