Aston Villa -v- Manchester United
Premier League
Villa Park, Birmingham
Sunday 21st December 2025; KO 16:30 GMT
Manchester United travel to Villa Park in Birmingham to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. United failed to beat Bournemouth on Monday evening in a thrilling 4-4 draw which saw United in the lead a few times. Ruben Amorim will now need to get United firing again against Villa to get the win.
United sit in sixth in the Premier League at the time of writing with Villa sitting in third place – just seven points separate the two sides. United will be weakened with the absences of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad and Bryan Mbeumo – but it should give other players the chance to find a place in the team this season.
Manchester United Top Scorers & Assists
⚽️ 7 – Bryan Mbeumo, 5 – Bruno Fernandes, 4 – Casemiro, 3 – Mason Mount, 2 – Amad, Matheus Cunha, Harry Maguire, Benjamin Sesko, 1 – Diogo Dalot, Mathijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee
🅰️ 7 – Bruno Fernandes, 3 – Amad, 2 – Diogo Dalot, 1 – Casemiro, Matheus Cunha, Patrick Dorgu, Ayden Heaven, Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo, Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount, Benjamin Sesko, Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro
Villa Top Scorers & Assists
⚽️ 7 – Donyell Malen, 5 – Emiliano Buendía, Morgan Rogers, 3 – Matty Cash, John McGinn, Ollie Watkins, 2 – Evann Guessand, Amadou Onana, 1 – Ross Barkley, Harvey Elliott, Boubacar Kamara, Ian Maatsen, Youri Tielemans
🅰️ 5 – Morgan Rogers, 4 – Boubacar Kamara, 3 – Emiliano Buendía, Lucas Digne, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, 1 – Matty Cash, Ian Maatsen, Donyell Malen, Victor Lindelöf
Predicted Manchester United XI:
Lammens;
Yoro, Heaven, Shaw;
Dalot, Mainoo, Fernandes, Dorgu;
Mount, Cunha;
Sesko
Predicted Villa XI:
Bizot;
Cash, Konsa, Lindelöf, Maatsen;
Kamara, Onana;
McGinn, Tielemans, Rogers;
Watkins
Goalkeeper: Senne Lammens
United’s goalkeeper situation has been terrible for the last two seasons and now that Senne Lammens is at the Old Trafford club, United have a goalkeeper that will grow in the position and thrive in the position due to the chance he has been given by the club. Lammens has a way to go to be a true star for United though.
That said, he is the better option going forward because of his willingness to learn, to get involved and just do what a goalkeeper should be doing. For too long, United have had goalkeepers who rest on their laurels and don’t really thrive in the position, which is over now – just need to get rid of Andre Onana for good now!
Defence: Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw
The United defence has some great players this season but once again, injury has stifled the club from moving forward. Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire are still out of action and Noussair Mazraoui has left the squad for AFCON in Morocco. United do have options though and they will have to get involved right now.
Leny Yoro should start on the right side of the back three against Villa as he really does have some good attributes, which strengthen the squad. Ayden Heaven has started for the last few matches, doing well he should keep his place in the centre. Luke Shaw should start on the left side of the back three.
Midfield: Diogo Dalot, Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes, Patrick Dorgu
United’s midfield has taken a hit with Amad out of the squad for the foreseeable future due to the AGCON tournament. Casemiro will also miss the Villa clash due to his yellow card against Bournemouth giving him a one-match suspension. United will have to give a fringe player a chance this weekend.
In the wingback positions, Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu should both be starting against Villa – United have no other options that won’t already be playing. In the centre of the midfield, Bruno Fernandes should be starting and his partner should be Kobbie Mainoo – who has a lot of speculation surrounding him right now.
Attack: Mason Mount, Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha
United’s attacking line will change this weekend with Bryan Mbeumo heading to the AFCON tournament with his two teammates. It will be a blow for United losing their top scorer at an important stage of the season – but United will make do with it. There will be options, but United also need more strength in the attack.
Benjamin Sesko could start for the club after returning from injury and illness against Bournemouth, which would be great to see. Mason Mount should start in the place of Mbeumo, which would be interesting to see. Matheus Cunha should also start as he has a lot to prove this season and he is doing very well right now.
Substitutes: Altay Bayindir; Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Tyler Fredricson; Manuel Ugarte, Jack Fletcher; Joshua Zirkzee, Chido Obi, Shea Lacey
United will have nine players on the bench against Villa in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. Altay Bayindir will once again be on the bench for United, which is where he should be staying. In defence, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Tyler Fredricson could all be involved with United suffering injury problems.
In midfield, Manuel Ugarte and Jack Fletcher could be the only midfielders on the bench with Casemiro out of action this weekend. In attack, United should have Joshua Zirkzee and Shea Lacey but we could also see Chido Obi on the bench once again with United needing to look to the youth teams to boost the bench.
Match Prediction
United will need to start strongly against Villa at Villa Park on Sunday. The 4-4 draw with Bournemouth will be an inspiration for both sides with United scoring four goals, which is a positive but Villa will look at United’s defence and see how many goals they can score. United have not lost to Villa on just over three years.
That said, United will need to be at the top of their game, especially without the injured players and those who have headed over to Morocco for the AFCON tournament. Villa will be seeking to get a win over United to maintaining their dominant position in the Premier League this season, but United need to dominate too.
Aston Villa 2-3 Manchester United
Written by Paul
About the Author
Discover more from Daily Man Utd News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
