Prediction for Aston Villa vs. Manchester United leans slightly towards the home team, but it won't

Aston Villa's 15-game winning streak in the Premier League was halted after a 1-1 draw against newcomers Sheffield United. In fact, it was a match where Unai Emery's team needed a late goal in stoppage time just to salvage a point. The end of this winning streak, especially at home, seemed to have an impact on the players' mentality.
In their most recent Premier League match at Villa Park, Ollie Watkins and his teammates suffered a 1-3 defeat against Newcastle. This consecutive setback at home might have further affected the confidence and morale of Aston Villa's players.In their latest match, Aston Villa suffered another defeat at Villa Park, this time against Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth round replay. Chelsea took a commanding 3-0 lead through goals from Conor Gallagher, Nicolas Jackson, and Enzo Fernandez, with the home side only managing a consolation goal scored by Moussa Diaby. These recent poor results at home have seen Unai Emery's side eliminated from the FA Cup. In the Premier League, they currently sit in 4th place, but their lead over 5th-placed Tottenham is only two points.
In the upcoming Premier League fixture in Round 24, Aston Villa will host Manchester United at Villa Park. The prediction for Aston Villa vs. Manchester United slightly favors the home team, as they have scored in their last 32 matches at Villa Park across all competitions. In the reverse fixture, Aston Villa took a 2-0 lead against Manchester United at Old Trafford, only to lose 2-3 eventually. Looking at their recent encounters, Aston Villa has only won 1 out of the last 6 matches against Manchester United, losing 3 of them.
On the other hand, Manchester United comes into this fixture on the back of a successful revenge victory against West Ham. After their defeat at the London Stadium earlier in December last year, the Red Devils secured a 3-0 victory in the return fixture at Old Trafford. Rasmus Hojlund opened the scoring for the home side before Alejandro Garnacho's brace sealed the three points for Manchester United. This duo, along with the young star Kobbie Mainoo, has been in excellent form, propelling Manchester United to new heights since the beginning of 2024.According to statistics, Manchester United has won 4 out of 5 matches in the Premier League and FA Cup since the beginning of 2024. The only match they didn't win was a 2-2 draw at home against Tottenham. With their recent good form, Manchester United has climbed to 6th place in the Premier League table, surpassing David Moyes' squad, but they still trail Aston Villa in 4th place by 8 points.
Manchester United's attack has scored 31 goals in 23 Premier League matches this season, which is their lowest tally after 23 rounds in the Premier League era. However, under Erik ten Hag's management, their goal-scoring ability is improving. They've scored 11 goals in their last 3 matches and 19 goals in their last 7 matches.
In terms of squad depth, Morgan Rogers, who was ineligible to play against Chelsea in the FA Cup, is ready to feature against Manchester United. Additionally, Nicolo Zaniolo and Pau Torres have returned from injury. However, Ezri Konsa will be sidelined for 3 to 4 weeks due to a knee issue, while Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia face longer-term absences. Furthermore, forward Jhon Duran is still in the recovery process from an Achilles tendon injury.Regarding Manchester United, Lisandro Martinez sustained a knee injury in the match against West Ham, and the Argentine player will be sidelined for at least 8 weeks. Martinez joins the list of absentees due to injury for Manchester United, alongside Anthony Martial (groin), Tyrell Malacia (knee), and Mason Mount (calf). Aaron Wan-Bissaka missed training on Thursday due to an unspecified issue and will also miss the trip to Villa Park. Raphael Varane is set to replace Martinez alongside Maguire in central defense, while Hojlund strives to become the youngest player in Manchester United's history to score in five consecutive Premier League matches.
Prediction for Aston Villa vs. Manchester United:
Manchester United not to lose: Aston Villa has lost two consecutive matches at home, and their recent form lacks stability. On the other hand, after a poor run of games, Manchester United is returning strongly with a run of 5 matches unbeaten, including 4 victories. The head-to-head history also heavily favors the away team, indicating that Manchester United is likely to secure at least a point when leaving Villa Park.
At least 3 goals: Statistics show that in the last 4 matches of Manchester United and the last 3 matches of Aston Villa, there have been at least 3 goals scored. Additionally, 5 out of the last 6 encounters between the two teams have seen more than 2 goals scored, suggesting that this match is likely to be lively in terms of goal-scoring.