Sunday morning brings an intriguing Premier League matchday 24 affair between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park. The kick-off is scheduled for 11:30 AM EST. The Lions are still flying high in league action and smashed Sheffield United 5-0 last weekend before an FA Cup defeat to Chelsea mid-week. As for the Red Devils, they grabbed a convincing 3-0 win over West Ham on matchday 23. Continue reading for the Aston Villa vs Manchester United picks.
Before we get into the odds, game preview, and picks, check out the biggest Vegas online soccer betting sites if you plan to put money down on this match.
Villa is a slim favorite at +120 odds for Sunday’s affair. United comes back at +214. A draw is priced at +282. The total in goals is set at three. The Red Devils have won three straight meetings against the Lions across all competitions, including a nailbiter 3-2 victory on Boxing Day.
If you look at the Premier League table, the club that looks out of the place in the top four is undoubtedly Aston Villa. Absolutely no one could’ve predicted that Unai Emery’s men would be battling for a Champions League spot at the beginning of February, but that’s very much the reality right now. And while Villa is just 2-1-2 in their last five league outings, there’s still so many positives to take away from the campaign thus far.
The Lions own a 14-4-5 record which puts thm only five points off first place Liverpool. They’ve bagged 49 goals in 23 matches while conceding just 30. Englishman Ollie Watkins is playing absolutely fantastic football at the moment, scoring 11 times and also tallying 10 assists to lead the way in the final third for Emery. Jamaica international Leon Bailey also has seven goals and six assists. Watkins was a massive difference-maker in the thrashing of Sheffield, scoring once and setting up another two. Bailey, Youri Tielemans, Alex Moreno, and John McGinn all hit the back of the net, too.
However, Aston Villa were humbled in their FA Cup fourth round replay with Chelsea on Wednesday, losing on home soil. Enzo Fernandez’s breathtaking free kick put the Blues up 3-0 by the 54th minute and although Villa got one back in injury time, it wasn’t enough. That was a rare loss at Villa Park though, where the club is 9-1-1 this term in Premier League play. Before beating Man United 3-1 in this match last season, Villa was winless in 23 appearances against the Red Devils at Villa Park. They will be looking for a similar result here.
United has had trouble in 2023-24 finding consistency, hence why they’re sixth in the table. They crashed out in the Champions League group stages in embarrassing fashion and have lost some questionable games in England. That being said, it appears Erik ten Hag’s men are starting to figure things out. The Red Devils are unbeaten in five matches across all competitions, most recently taking car of West Ham at Old Trafford last Sunday.
Summer signing Rasmus Hojlund opened the scoring in the 23rd minute before Alejandro Garnacho scored the first of two of the day for his first brace. The Hammers had their fair share of chances and possession, but United were the more clinical ones this time around. With Marcus Rashford struggling to find his form, it was refreshing to see Hojlund in particular find his best up top.
Man United tends to play very well against Villa, even on the road. They’ve won 17 of 28 road games versus the Lions. Also, the Red Devils are unbeaten in the month of February in every year since 2018. That could be something to take into account when betting on this clash. Since United is still eight points behind fourth place Villa, this is a very important match if they want to be in contention for next season’s Champions League.
It’s difficult to look past Villa’s phenomenal form in front of their home fans. I do expect this to be a highly entertaining encounter that should be close, but I would not be surprised to see it end level. Take the draw for plus odds. It’s worth a shot.
See below the top Las Vegas betting sites where you can wager online and choose the best one for you. Most of them also offer amazing casinos, like the BetOnline Casino. Check them out!
