Manchester United are set to take on Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, 25 May, on what could be a toxic afternoon at Old Trafford.
Following Man Utd's defeat in the Europa League final on Wednesday night, empty seats are anticipated at the Theatre of Dreams and those who do turn up are expected to let the players know exactly what they thought of their pitiful display in Bilbao.
The match itself holds plenty of significance for the visitors. If Aston Villa can pick up the three points, then they stand a great chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
How the bookies view it: Villa start as the favourites
Given how poor Man Utd have been all season, it's no surprise that Aston Villa come into this match as favourites. BoyleSports have priced an away win as short as 4/6 while Manchester United have been priced at 10/3 to win a match at Old Trafford – an incredible statement in the grand scheme of things.
Head to head: Advantage Man Utd
Man Utd's price of 10/3 looks remarkably good when you consider their recent record against Aston Villa. The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last five matches against the Villains, with four wins and one draw, however, it would certainly be a shock if they made it six unbeaten this weekend. Villa's last win at Old Trafford was in September 2021.
Players to watch: Villa's power to rip through United
On paper, Aston Villa's midfield has far too much power and energy to fail to get on top of Man Utd on Sunday, particularly if Ruben Amorim elects to play any of the players who lined up in Bilbao on Wednesday night.
In many ways, the players in Villa's ranks are the type Manchester United should be targeting this summer. A standout name is Morgan Rogers, who is having the best season of his young career to date for the Villains. The 22-year-old has scored eight goals and registered 10 assists in the Premier League so far this season.
Another man who Man Utd will need to be wary of is Marco Asensio. The PSG loanee started off his Villa career in fine form, but has failed to deliver his best form over the past couple of months. However, he is the type of player to relish playing at Old Trafford, and it would be no surprise if he got on the scoresheet this weekend.
Predicted line-ups
Ruben Amorim will almost certainly ring the changes this weekend, which could mean that Alejandro Garnacho misses out altogether after his outburst in the wake of their defeat on Wednesday night. Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt are out through injury. Marcus Rashford is unavailable for Villa, as is Youri Tielemans.
Man Utd: Onana – Lindelof, Maguire, Yoro – Dalot, Ugarte, Fernandes, Amass – Amad, Mount – Zirkzee
Aston Villa: Martinez – Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne – Onana, Kamara – Rogers, Asensio, McGinn – Watkins
Anything else catch the eye?
The morale in the Manchester United squad has never been lower, and the prospect of facing a hungry Aston Villa side chasing Champions League football isn't an appealing one for the Red Devils. Aston Villa to win with a -1 handicap has been priced at 17/10 by BoyleSports.
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