IN-form Manchester United will be targeting a fifth-consecutive victory when they travel to relegation-threatened Aston Villa on Thursday night.
The Red Devils have been rampant since the restart and their upturn in fortunes sees them in the midst of a 16 match unbeaten run across all competitions.
Last weekend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side shredded Bournemouth 5-2 at Old Trafford to move to within two points of fourth-placed Chelsea.
United's fine form does not bode well for an Aston Villa outfit who are in huge trouble and hurtling towards a quickfire return to the English Championship.
This fixture represents Villa's sixth run-out since the restart with the Claret and Blue having only managed to collect a mere two points from a possible 15 from in their previous five outings.
Indeed, Villa put in a spirited display when falling to a 2-0 defeat at Anfield on Sunday, however, time is running out for Dean Smith and Co in their bid to beat the drop
Outright Betting
Aston Villa are without a win in nine Premier League matches and the bookies expect that sequence to be extended on Thursday night with a home win trading at a whopping 9/1 with Betfred while the draw is also deemed unlikely at 9/2 with the same firm.
Man United are heavily fancied at 3/10 with Bet 365 to continue their charge towards Champions League qualification.
Betting Angles
There is little value in backing Man United to win outright and therefore punters will have to dig deep to try and squeeze some value out of this Premier League mismatch on Thursday night.
Solskjaer's side have slammed in 12 goals across their four league games since the resumption and the Red Devils red-hot form in front goal does bode well for an Aston Villa team who have the most brittle backline in the Premier League.
United have made the net bulge at least three times in each of their last three outings and collectively their front three of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood have made the net bulge an eye-watering 55 times this season to date.
Three or more United goals takes appeal at odds of 11/8 with Bet 365, however, I'm going to take a slightly more cautious approach by being creative with Bet 365's Bet Builder feature by combining a Man United win, over one match goal and at least one Aston Villa card which pays 4/5 (Bet 365).
Taking the above-mentioned betting angle would have generated profit in both of United's last two league games and I like the look of a repeat on Thursday night when United come up against a leaky Villa rearguard who have recorded just one clean sheet across their last 18 matches.
Furthermore, I'm also attracted to siding with Solskjaer's side in the Half Time/Full Time market which is currently trading at an eye-catching Even-Money with BetVictor – a combination that has clicked in six of Man United's last eight top-flight tussles.
Indeed, Aston Villa held out for 71 minutes against newly-crowned champions Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, however, Manchester United are motoring and they are in must-win territory in their pursuit of a top-four finish.
What's more, I suspect Solskjaer's scintillating attacking trio will prove too hot to handle for a confidence-stricken Aston Villa team who are now winless in nine Premier League outings.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Man United will be played on Jul 9, 2020 and kick off at 20:15. Check below for our tipsters best Aston Villa vs Man United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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