Prediction and odds for the game: Aston Villa (2/1) vs Manchester United (5/4)

We are backing the draw at odds of 13/5

When: Saturday 15 January 2022, Kick-off 17:30

Where: Villa Park

On Saturday evening, Aston Villa and Manchester United meet for the second time in a week. This time the two teams are doing battle in the Premier League.

Aston Villa

The Villans suffered a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United in the FA Cup third round last week. The loss was Villa’s third straight defeat and the honeymoon period has worn off for former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. In fairness to the home side, though, they have produced some decent performances of late, especially in the cup defeat at Old Trafford.

Their recent Premier League results have been poor though, as not only have they lost three straight games in all competitions, the men from the Midlands have also lost three of their last four top-flight games.

The Villans recent record at Villa Park is also poor, as they have lost four of their last six league matches on home soil. Poor defensive displays on home soil have not helped Villa, as they have kept just one clean sheet in their last 16 league games at Villa Park.

Manchester United

The 1-0 win over Villa was a much needed one, even if the Red Devils were unconvincing in the manner of victory. There has been plenty of criticism and talk of a crisis at Manchester United in recent weeks. However, the Red Devils go into this game on the back just one defeat in ten games in all competitions.

The one defeat came in their last Premier League outing, as a late Joao Moutinho goal helped Wolves to a 1-0 win at Old Trafford in their last top-flight outing. The defeat ended a seven-game unbeaten run for the Red Devils in the English top-flight.

Despite the loss, United have not yet been cut adrift of the Champions League spots. The men from Manchester are six points behind fourth-place West Ham. However, they have two games in hand on the Hammers in the race to secure a top-four finish this season.

Manchester United have been highly difficult to beat on their travels in recent seasons in the Premier League, as they have lost just two of their last 35 away matches in the English top-flight. They have also not suffered a league defeat at Villa Park since 1995.

Conclusion

Neither team heads into this clash in great fashion. Villa looked decent in the cup game, but whether they will have enough to see off an unconvincing United is another question. We believe they won’t and this game will end in a draw. The other bet we are backing is for both teams to score, as both teams have shown defensive vulnerabilities of late.

Our Tips: We are backing the draw at odds of 13/5 and/or both teams to score at odds of 7/10. (All odds are taken from Bet365).

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Can Villa end their losing run or will Manchester United bounce back to winning ways?