English Premier
2009-12-12 - Manchester United vs Aston Villa
A Sports Betting Pick by Cruiser
Analysis:Despite the fact that Manchester United were hard hit by injuries, they managed to overcome Wolfsburg 3-1 on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League ith a makefshit side. United will be glad that they can call upon Nemanja Vidic back to the heart of their defence for this match against Villa at the Theatre of Dreams.
Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick acted as centre-backs in Germany but Sir Alex Ferguson can once again rely on Vidic as a more orthodox defender for the visit of Martin O'Neill's men.
Since their defeat to Chelsea, United have won their last four Premiership matcnes in a row and comes into this match with an excellent record against Villa at Old Trafford. Since the Premier League started Aston Villla have never won at Old Trafford and were beaten in a remarkable defeat here last season.
Then substitute Federico Macheda secured the winner in the most dramatic fashion when he scored in the dying seconds and they then went on to push for the title. At Villa Park they drew 0-0 but The Villians have lost 13 out of their last 14 matches against today's opponents.
But Martin O'Neill's side are looking good this season and will provide a tough challenge to United as the Red Devils look to keep the pressure on Chelsea at the top of the table.
United are in good form despite their long injury list and they took it out on West Ham last weekend when they thrashed West Ham United 4-0!
As for the team news, Michael Owen is pushing for a place in the starting lineup after the hat-trick against Wolfsburg but Sir Alex Ferguson has a number of striking options as well. Wayne Rooney has overcome a hamstring injury and is certain to start, while Dimitar Berbatov looks to have shaken off a knee problem and is also available for selection. Ryan Giggs was rested for the trip to Germany and he is also in contention.
Michael Carrick is likely to fill in once more at centre-half alongside Vidic, as Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, John O'Shea, Jonny Evans and Rafael and Fabio Da Silva are still out with injuries. Tomasz Kuszczak is set to continue in goal in the absence of Edwin van der Sar, with Ben Foster remaining on the bench - while midfielder Owen Hargreaves is still lacking match fitness.
As for Villa, they will be looking to take advantage of United's makeshift defence and score here and stake their claim for a Champions League spot. In their last two games they have scored seven times and have beaten Hull City 3-0 in their last match.
Wilfred Bouma remains out for the visitors, but James Collins returns to the side after injury. The former West Ham player has been out for the past month with thigh and groin problems but has now returned to training.
O'Neill must decide whether to recall him to the starting lineup or keep faith with Carlos Cuellar who has impressed in recent weeks alongside Richard Dunne. Stewart Downing has played Villa's past two games since his return from a long-term injury, but he could miss out from the team selection here with places in the side hard to get into especially in midfield. Stiliyan Petrov and Steve Sidwell could eb the preferred partnership in the centre of midfield, with Ashley Young moving to the left wing.
Take Manchester United to win and give the 1 ball here.
Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser
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