Manchester Utd – Aston Villa

Birmingham visitors to take at least a point in Manchester

Manchester Utd are going through one of their most difficult periods in recent decades. In the season before last, when they finished 15th in the Premier League table, their Europa League final and the decision to prioritise European competition could be cited as explanations, but now the team's supporters are inconsolable. Much is nevertheless changing at Manchester Utd. The club have had all kinds of managers since Alex Ferguson left, but none has received as much support as Michael Carrick. Dissatisfaction with previous managers grew as soon as Manchester Utd dropped out of the Champions League places, yet the team now sit 17th in the Premier League. There are several reasons for this faith. Firstly, Carrick worked a miracle at the start of the year, guiding Manchester Utd to a third-place finish in the table. Secondly, in theory, the manager is doing everything right, something even non-experts can see. Thirdly, Carrick has been loved in Manchester since his playing days, so he enjoys considerably more goodwill at Old Trafford than Ruben Amorim and Erik ten Hag did. On Tuesday, Manchester Utd delighted their supporters with a dramatic comeback win in the Champions League. They were still trailing Roma 2:1 in the 82nd minute, but two late goals from Matheus Cunha secured all three points in a 3:2 victory. Does their first win in almost two months mean that all of Manchester Utd's problems will disappear? Most likely not. Aston Villa are also performing worse than last season. However, there is a clear explanation for the drop in Villa's level of performance. It followed the departures of Morgan Rogers and several other important players, who are very difficult to replace even for a wealthy English club with a highly regarded manager. While Manchester Utd went almost two months without a win, Aston Villa have gone almost two months without losing in the Premier League. Unai Emery's team last lost in the league against Nottingham Forest on 12 September, and have since been beaten only in the League Cup and Champions League. The selection is Double chance X2 (Aston Villa or draw).