Manchester United vs Aston Villa prediction, preview, team news and more | FA Cup 2021-22

An under pressure Manchester United will face a tough challenge as they take on Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Monday night in the third round of the FA Cup.

The dialog around Manchester United is drenched in hyperbole. Setbacks are equated to catastrophes and hitches are portrayed as full blown crises. It feels like the Red Devils crawl out of the debris of a crumbling circus every time they step out to play.

Ralf Rangnick has only lost one of the five matches that he has been in charge. As disappointing a performance it was, a 1-0 loss against a technically brilliant opposition usually offers just food for thought and not ammo for assault.

With their loyalty and commitment to Manchester United questioned, there is only one way the players can respond to this. That's by producing a spirited performance against Steven Gerrard's men on Monday night, whom they will face twice in the span of a week.

Aston Villa are riding on the back of successive Premier League defeats against Chelsea and Brentford. They have a lot of work to do to get their season back on track. They've made no secret of their ambitions by signing Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona for the remainder of the season.

Steven Gerrard would love nothing more than securing a victory over his old foes at Old Trafford. This promises to be a riveting encounter between two sides who will be raring to prove themselves.

Manchester United vs Aston Villa Head-to-Head

Aston Villa have won just one of their last 19 fixtures against Manchester United across all competitions. Interestingly enough, that win came in the latest meetings between the two sides in the Premier League.

In the last 10 matches between Manchester United and Aston Villa, the former have won seven times and two matches have ended as draws.

Manchester United form guide: D-W-D-W-L

Aston Villa form guide: W-L-W-L-L

Manchester United vs Aston Villa Team News

Manchester United

Manchester United will be without Paul Pogba for another month, Ralf Rangnick has confirmed. Anthony Martial is unlikely to be included after informing the club that he wants to leave this month. Harry Maguire is recovering from an injury and Monday might come too early for him.

Victor Lindelof has recovered from Covid-19 and is likely to be available for selection. Eric Bailly is the only other player injured.

Injuries: Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly

Doubtful: Anthony Martial, Harry Maguire, Eric Bailly

Suspensions: None

Aston Villa

Philippe Coutinho is unlikely to feature here after joining the club on loan until the end of the season. Steven Gerrard has confirmed that Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins are available for selection for the game. Marvelous Nakamba and Leon Bailey are injured and unavailable.

Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet are away on international duty.

Injuries: Marvelous Nakamba, Leon Bailey

International duty: Trezeguet, Bertrand Traore

Doubtful: Philippe Coutinho

Suspensions: None

Manchester United vs Aston Villa Predicted Lineups

Manchester United Predicted XI (4-2-2-2): Dean Henderson; Alex Telles, Raphael Varane, Phil Jones, Diogo Dalot; Scott McTominay, Fred; Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo

Aston Villa Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martinez; Matt Target, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Matty Cash; Stuart McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Jacob Ramsey; Emiliano Buendia, Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins

Manchester United vs Aston Villa Prediction

Manchester United need to find combinations that work in midfield as well as in the final third. They haven't shown any real improvement under Ralf Rangnick so far. But a response is long overdue and we have a feeling they will produce a spirited performance on Monday.

Prediction: Manchester United 3-1 Aston Villa