Yahoo Finance Manchester United vs Aston Villa official line-ups: Team news ahead of Premier League fixture today
Marcus Rashford
(Michael Regan, Pool via AP)Manchester United welcome Aston Villa to Old Trafford in a pivotal game at the top of the Premier League as 2021 begins.
Both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Dean Smith were able to inspire impressive runs of form to round out 2020, which sees United primed for a title challenge and Villa in the mix for a top four finish and qualification for the Champions League.
United were able to narrowly defeat Wolves last time out thanks to Marcus Rashford’s goal in stoppage, while Villa took an impressive point at Stamford Bridge with Anwar El Ghazi scoring his fifth goal in the league this season to hold Chelsea 1-1.
If Villa are able to pull off the upset here, then they will leap above United thanks to their superior goal difference, while they also hold a game in hand on their opponents here.
Though Solskjaer will know a win here can go a long way towards validating United’s title credentials.
Jack Grealish will not be lining up in red, having been a target for United last summer with 2021 a big year for the Villa captain, having forced his way into Gareth Southgate’s England plans ahead of Euro 2020 this summer.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game.
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When is the match?
The game kicks off at 8pm GMT on Friday, 1 January.
Where can I watch it and is there a live stream?
The game will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HD, with Sky subscribers able to watch a live stream on the Sky Go app on their mobile devices.
If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
Coverage begins at 7:30pm GMT.
Line-ups
Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw, Fred, McTominay, Pogba, Fernandes, Rashford, Martial
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Luiz, McGinn, Grealish, Traore, El Ghazi, Watkins
Odds
Man United - 8/11
Draw - 16/5
Aston Villa - 16/5
Prediction
This should be a really intriguing contest with Villa proving their worth in recent weeks and able to absorb pressure while also offering a threat in transition. We’ll go for a 1-1 draw here with Villa able to frustrate the hosts enough to ensure Grealish can inspire his side in the final third when they are afforded chances. United 1-1 Villa.
