Aston Villa vs Manchester United – Three Key Battles
Manchester United head to a ground where they haven’t lost since 1995 on Saturday with the sole intention of extending their winning streak to seven in a row when they take on Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Aston Villa haven’t had the best of seasons so far and are coming off the back of a defeat to West Brom last weekend but they can welcome Christian Benteke back into the team following his suspension. Tom Cleverley of course will miss out as a condition of his loan deal, although the England midfielder is suspended anyway.
Louis Van Gaal’s side won’t see many differences from last weekend either. Marouane Fellaini will miss the game with an illness, while Van Gaal admitted that Angel Di Maria could return to the bench for Manchester United after training all week. Marcos Rojo is still out with a thigh injury picked up in training and Falcao could start for the first time since scoring in United’s 2-1 win over Everton back in October.
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With both sides looking for three points to start their Christmas fixtures period, there will likely be plenty of battles on the pitch. While Aston Villa have caused Man United plenty of problems in the past, United on paper should have far too much for Paul Lambert’s side. Both teams are likely to pack the midfield, meaning there will be plenty of battles all over the park.
Christian Benteke vs Phil Jones
A physical battle for the ages. Both men love a war and while on paper Benteke should win it with ease, Jones has matured well this season and is turning into a top level central defender. Both men have had injury problems but Jones’ form has been very good on either side of his injury worries. He revealed he’s taken up yoga to help overcome the problems and now hopes to get a run of form going. Jones is the most physical of the United defenders available tomorrow and it will be up to him to match Benteke in that department to ensure he stays quiet and Manchester United can dominate the ball from the back.
Fabian Delph vs Juan Mata
While Christian Sanchez has struggled to impress for Aston Villa since filling in for the injured Fabian Delph, Juan Mata has shone under Louis Van Gaal. The Spanish playmaker has adapted well to a deeper midfield role and has kept up his impressive goal record for the Reds, with his goal against Liverpool making it 11 in his last 18 games. Mata’s intelligent movement and ball retention will be key for United’s men and will help them to build attacks against a compact Villa side who will look to counter attack at speed against a shaky United defence. Delph will be tasked with breaking up the play for the home side and will look to spring attacks to the three front-men Weimann, Agbonlahor and Benteke. It will be his first start in eleven weeks and a big task for the young midfielder and with the player reportedly interested in a move away from Villa Park in January, he may be looking to put himself in the shop window upon his return to the side.
Ron Vlaar vs Radamel Falcao
A clash of two players who could be teammates come February 1st. Ron Vlaar has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford to be reunited with former Holland manager Louis Van Gaal. The Manchester United boss is reportedly interested in Vlaar following United’s injury problems at the heart of defence. With the Villa captain very keen on the move, he will be looking to impress and what better way to do that then to stop ‘El Tigre’? Falcao is one of the most feared strikers on the planet but he’s yet to hit form since his loan move. After admitting this week that he needs to play more, Van Gaal revealed during the press conference that he has trained well and could be rewarded with a start. His incredible movement as well as his natural ability to find the back of the net instinctively mean he will always be a problem to the Villa defence and the returning Ron Vlaar will have to be at the very top of his game to ensure that Radamel Falcao has a quiet afternoon.