Serious pressure is mounting on Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag as they welcome Aston Villa to Old Trafford. Image: X

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Serious pressure is mounting on Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag as they welcome Aston Villa to Old Trafford.

by Garrin Lambley

26-12-2023 15:24

in English Premier League

Serious pressure is mounting on Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag as they welcome Aston Villa to Old Trafford. Image: X

Serious pressure is mounting on Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag after another limp performance saw the Red Devils beaten 2-0 by West Ham on Saturday.

According to the FlashScore website, Manchester United have now gone four successive matches without scoring for the first time since November 1992 (D1, L3), and will kick off on Boxing Day eight points adrift of the Premier League top-four, so improvements are needed quickly.

And it’s clear to see where they should be prioritised, as only basement boys Sheffield United have scored fewer goals than the Red Devils’ measly 18 in the Premier League thus far.

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Further toothlessness in front of goal would leave them vulnerable to a third consecutive home defeat for the first time this century, although confidence can perhaps be drawn from their pair of hed-to-head victories over Aston Villa at Old Trafford last season.

Unai Emery’s men travel to Manchester having squandered the chance to sit top of the Premier League at Christmas for the first time since 1998, with Aston Villa left frustrated by a 1-1 draw against Sheffield United.

Irrespective of that setback, the visitors are unbeaten in 10 matches in all competitions (W7, D3) and have scored exactly twice in each of their last three Premier League away matches (W2, D1).

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This is a fixture that, despite the club’s respective standings this term, may still concern the Aston Villa faithful as they’ve won just two of the last 24 head-to-heads in all competitions (D5, L17).

No side in Premier League history has beaten Aston Villa more than Manchester United (38), while Emery has lost six of his 12 managerial head-to-heads against the Red Devils (W3, D3), although one of those victories came in his first game as Aston Villa boss – a 3-1 win at Villa Park last season.

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Kick-off is at 22:00 (SA time).

Players to watch

With Manchester United’s forward line misfiring, Marcus Rashford may be in line for a recall. He scored as the Red Devils knocked Aston Villa out of the League Cup last season, while he also bagged the goal that confirmed the visitors’ relegation back in 2016.

Aston Villa winger Moussa Diaby has scored inside the opening 15 minutes twice this season, but he’s without a Premier League goal since late October.