Aston Villa v Manchester United 21.12.25 - Pre Match Thread

[Sexual Ealing]

They're going to play someone who's out of form and can't normally get in the side? Oh, well I don't foresee any potential issues with that.

[Goldie.7]

2-0 Watkins with both. Merry Christmas.

I'd start Malen. Watkins hasn’t scored a league goal vs manure in 10 previous attempts. Easy call for me that won't happen.

[Smirker]

2-0 Watkins with both. Merry Christmas.

I'd start Malen. Watkins hasn’t scored a league goal vs manure in 10 previous attempts. Easy call for me that won't happen.

I would start Malen too.

[Villa in Denmark]

This is a different Villa now. We go into every game genuinely expecting to win. We’ve already beaten a two top Champions League side at Villa Park, so there’s no reason to fear this.

[Drummond]

2-0 Watkins with both. Merry Christmas.

I'd start Malen. Watkins hasn’t scored a league goal vs manure in 10 previous attempts. Easy call for me that won't happen.

I would start Malen too.

Bit leftfield for you that. Next you'll be saying you want to play Lindelof up front.

[brontebilly]

Ugarte would be the natural replacement for Casemiro, he’s also likely to pick up the Brazilian’ customary yellow card as well.

They were trying to sign Ugarte for maybe 12 months. Once he signed and had played a few games you started to wonder what they saw in him at all. Lightweight. That's motm sorted!

We should be beating this rabble at our ease. But it's Man United and the ghosts of that no show in May might not have been fully put to bed. Id bring Tielemans back in next to Kamara for starters and then it's one of Malen or Buendia up with Watkins.

Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Buendia, Watkins.

[Crown Hill]

Just looking at the fixtures.

Why are we the only Premier League game playing on Sunday?

[cdbearsfan]

There seem to be two 8pm games on Saturday. One features Arsenal and the other features Palace. Arsenal play Palace in the League Cup on the following Tuesday so I imagine one of their games was originally supposed to be played on Sunday but has been moved to allow sufficient recovery time.

[cdbearsfan]

Found it here, both the Arsenal and Palace games were originally supposed to be played on Sunday but have been moved.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/arsenal-crystal-palace-fixtures-moved-133607370.html

[Crown Hill]

Found it here, both the Arsenal and Palace games were originally supposed to be played on Sunday but have been moved.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/arsenal-crystal-palace-fixtures-moved-133607370.html

Thanks. I guess we’re guaranteed a lot of interest then!

[Flamingo Lane]

Found it here, both the Arsenal and Palace games were originally supposed to be played on Sunday but have been moved.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/arsenal-crystal-palace-fixtures-moved-133607370.html

Thanks. I guess we’re guaranteed a lot of interest then!

You're likely to be half right. I see that four of the first five articles on the BBC football page this morning are devoted to Man Utd.

[Lsvilla]

I would hope that the players have been waiting for this one since the shambolic end to last season. And with a full week to prepare will produce the kind of masterclass Unai will demand and a proper hammering.

[ChicagoLion]

They proved last night that they are a dangerous team that can score goals,they are also vulnerable defensively.

[Pat Mustard]

This has to be the one where we get this monkey off our backs once and for all - we are indisputably superior to them in every single department at the moment.  Looking at how they played last night, what their likely line-up is and just how strong we are now, we cannot go into this game expecting anything other than a big win.

Manure have got form over the last few years for having at least one absolute pasting in a season - Sunday is the day it happens this year, 5-1 or 6-1 at least.

[SaddVillan]

We've got:

The better manager
The better team
More self belief
Better fans
Home advantage

They'll have
The tosser with the whistle and Stockley Park
Ratboy