Man Utd v Aston Villa – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Villa sit sixth in the table and need a win in the pursuit of Champions League qualification. United have lost four of their last five matches and look devoid of confidence.

Match: Nottingham Forest v Chelsea
When: Sunday, 25 May 2025

Man Utd Form

United are winless in eight matches in the league and sit 16^th in the table. They lost the Europa League final on Wednesday and look short of confidence and quality. They beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 away before losing 4-3 at Brentford in the league. A 4-1 home win over Bilbao followed in the second leg.

The Red Devils have lost their last three fixtures. A 2-0 home defeat to West Ham was followed by a 1-0 loss at Chelsea. They were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham in midweek in the Europa League final as a chance of Champions League qualification was lost.

Man United Team News

Ruben Amorim is without the injured Lisandro Martinez in defence. He could make several changes to his XI from the last match. Matthijs de Ligt is doubtful in defence but Diogo Dalot should be fit enough to return to the starting XI.

Joshua Zirkzee is set to replace the struggling Rasmus Hojlund up front. Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo are two others who could come back into the lineup for this match.

Man United Motivation

United have nothing to play for. Their confidence is shattered and they would arguably see a draw as a good result.

They will try to play on the front foot but that will leave space on the break as usual.

Aston Villa Form

Villa have won 13 of their last 16 matches in all competitions. After seven straight wins, they lost 3-1 away to PSG. A 3-0 win at Southampton was followed by a 3-2 home win over PSG in the second leg, though they were eliminated on aggregate.

They thrashed Newcastle 4-1 (with a 23-10 shot count) before successive losses, 2-1 at Man City in the dying moments and 3-0 versus Crystal Palace in the FA Cup. They’ve refocused with three wins to zero in a row. A 1-0 victory over Fulham was followed by a 1-0 win at Bournemouth and a 2-0 home win over Tottenham.

Aston Villa Team News

Marcus Rashford is both injured and ineligible to face his parent club. Jacob Ramsey returns from suspension to boost Unai Emery’s options.

Youri Tielemans could shake off a calf injury to play some part. Ian Maatsen may again be selected ahead of Lucas Digne at left back.

Aston Villa Motivation

Villa know that nothing but a win will do in this match. They are highly motivated to return to the Champions League next season.

Emery’s side will take the game to Man Utd and will play with no fear against the struggling Red Devils, even at Old Trafford.

Key Stats

Man Utd have lost 6 of their last 8 league matches

Man Utd have lost 4 of their last 5 matches

Aston Villa have won 13 of their last 16 matches

Aston Villa have lost their last 4 clashes with Man Utd

Villa’s Ollie Watkins has scored in his last 3 away EPL starts

Verdict

Villa have more at stake and are in far better form. An away win looks likely here.

Best Bet: Aston Villa win at 1.80
Value Bet: Aston Villa win to zero at 3.30
Alternate Bet: Aston Villa win and Ollie Watkins to score anytime at 2.55