Aston Villa vs. Manchester United: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Aston Villa vs. Manchester United sees two of the sides who managed opening-day victories come face to face.
Tim Sherwood will be looking to build on his side's win over newly promoted Bournemouth. Louis van Gaal will be looking to improve on last season's 1-1 draw in this fixture.
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United fans have plenty of fond memories of Villa Park, both from wins over the home side and FA Cup semi-finals in the days before the new Wembley Stadium usurped the Midlands' ground as home to those.
How they would welcome a goal of the quality of Ryan Giggs' 1999 winner against Arsenal.
They would also presumably settle for a comeback like that inspired by half-time substitute Javier Hernandez in November 2012. Or even a Nemanja Vidic-esque late equaliser, such as the one he scored when United fought back from 2-0 down after 76 minutes to finish the game 2-2 in November 2010.
Villa fans will be hoping their team ends their two decade-long run of games without a win against the Red Devils at Villa Park.
Date: Friday, 14 August, 2015
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST / 2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK Only) / NBCSN (U.S. Only)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK Only) /NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S. only)
Form Lines
Aston Villa: W
Manchester United: W
Team News
Sherwood has told the press, per the Villa's official website, that, "Carles Gil's not fit, Jack Grealish is not fit and Jores Okore is not fit." He added, "There are a few who have got a few more training days under their belt, which will help them."
For United, David De Gea will be absent once again, a story that has generated plenty of headlines. Van Gaal told reporters, per BBC Sport, that goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek "had a meeting with David De Gea. He fully agreed with our decision [to not start him against Tottenham Hotspur]."
Other than the controversy around De Gea, United have "no injuries—only illness for Phil Jones," as Van Gaal told MUTV (h/t United's official website). Earlier in the week, Bastian Schweinsteiger spoke with MUTV (again, h/t ManUtd.com), saying he was close to full fitness.
Predicted Lineups
It will be interesting to see whether Sherwood includes Rudy Gestede from the start. He was an effective substitute against Bournemouth, but his aerial ability and strength could be invaluable against Sergio Romero and Daley Blind. The rest of the XI could well line up as it did against the Cherries.
It would be no surprise to see Van Gaal line United up as he did against Tottenham Hotspur. Fans would love to see Ander Herrera included from the start. However, the defensive platform offered by Morgan Schneiderlin and Michael Carrick in midfield offers a solid base from which their creative players can work. Van Gaal seems to value the extra cover they provide.
Memphis could be shifted out wide in favour of Villa old boy Ashley Young, but Young's work rate and defensive contribution will be important, particularly against Villa's attacking 4-4-2.
Players to Watch
With so many new signings in Villa's side, their home crowd will be getting a first look at players such as Jordan Ayew, Micah Richards and Gestede. The latter's significant aerial threat will surely be a factor against United's somewhat makeshift defensive unit.
Memphis' home debut showed some of his significant promise. More is needed, though, as United look to add much-needed creativity to their attack.
Given the fixture, a nod to Wayne Rooney is necessary, given his history of scoring against the Villans.
Key Battle
Villa's full-backs could have their hands full. While United's wingers were not at their best against Spurs, both Matteo Darmian and Luke Shaw gave very good accounts of themselves. If they can marshal Villa's wide men and provide overlapping support for Young and Juan Mata, United could get a lot of joy.
They will need to be at the races defensively, though, given Villa's aforementioned aerial threat. Gestede versus Blind simply does not seem a fair fight. Chris Smalling provided Blind with plenty of defensive cover against Spurs and will likely need to again here. Schneiderlin and Carrick will have to make sure Gabriel Agbonlahor is not given too much space in which to run, particularly during counter-attacks.
Odds
The odds for the game, at the time of writing are, per Odds Shark:
Aston Villa Win: 501/100
Draw: 141/50
Manchester United Win: 25/36
