- Manchester United and Aston Villa close Round 3 of the FA Cup.
- Both teams are coming off a loss and need a win to boost their morale.
- According to the sources near the team, United is expected to start with the best lineup.
Ralph Rangnick and his United didn’t start quite well, and it appears that the German won’t deliver a much-needed improvement as fast as expected. The Red Devils continued to struggle, not looking good at all.
Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard did stop Aston Villa’s meltdown, but they, too, aren’t shinny.
Manchester United vs. Aston Villa Schedule
- Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, England
- When: Monday, January 10, 2:55 PM ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+
Manchester United vs. Aston Villa Odds
| Man Utd | Draw | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| -166 | +300 | +400 |
Rangnick’s Reality Check
The German came with high hopes, and to be honest, the same was among the fans. A few weeks upon his arrival, the experienced head coach is slowly starting to realize that he won’t have a pleasant time at Trafford at all.
Rangnick spoke publicly about the poor atmosphere on the pitch and the fact that the players don’t act as a team but are focused on their individual records and stats. Will he sort that out by the end of this year? Probably not, but there is no way back now, and he needs to try to reach at least the FA trophy, otherwise this season is a major bust.
The Red Devils didn’t lose for eight straight until suffering a shocker at home to the Wolves in their last EPL appearance. Due to that, Rangnick announced that he wouldn’t combine anything but send the best possible lineup against Aston Villa.
Coutinho Effect
Steven Gerrard knows quite well what are the abilities of a Brazilian playmaker. While playing in Liverpool, we are pretty sure that Coutinho’s performances made him the top-five player in the world at that point. So it’s no wonder why he reached for the former teammate and brought him to Villa.
Even though Coutinho didn’t play for too long, be sure that his comeback will immediately boost the Villains’ performances and that the former European champions will be at least 30% more lethal upfront.
Overall, Villa plays interesting games with goals on both sides, as five in the past seven ended like that. The same number saw over 2.5 scores as well.
Head to Head
The first meeting this year was in late September, and the Villains surprised United, beating them with a minimal result, 0-1. The only scorer was Kourtney Hause, who netted in the 88th minute, freezing Old Trafford.
Prediction
It’s still questionable whether Coutinho starts the game, but whatever is Gerrard’s decision, we are backing up the hosts to win. They are in a must-win situation, unlike Villa, who is going to save its players for the Premiership matches. The pressure on the Red Devils and Rangnick is enormous, and we can’t suggest anything else than betting on hosts’ win in this one. The profits aren’t too high, but still, it is in our opinion safe.
Pick: Untied Wins
