Pressure On United As Reds And Blues Win

Today Manchester United host an out-of-form Aston Villa knowing that yet another slip-up could prove damaging to their title ambitions.

Chelsea beat Newcastle 2-0 at St. James' Park courtesy of goals from Lampard and Malouda.

Liverpool also picked up maximum points at Craven Cottage thanks to Yossi Benayoun's injury time strike. This puts the Reds at the top of the table for at least 24 hours.

So United will look forward to pick up three points today and returning to the top again. The international break might have come at just the right time for them as they hope to bounce back against Villa.

However, they have Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes, and Nemanja Vidic all suspended. Dimitar Berbatov is out for two weeks (ankle), though the good news is that Gary Neville is expected to return for the first time since January.

Aston Villa have also had a poor run of form which is proved by they being win-less for the past eight games. The 5-0 mauling by Liverpool demonstrates their low confidence level.

They haven't won at Old Trafford for 26 years now.

At the moment they lie in 5th place, six points behind Arsenal. It is still possible for them to capture the final Champions League slot as Arsenal still have to face United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Anyway, it is a test of both team's determination to bounce back.

My Prediction: Manchester United 1 Aston Villa 1