Man Utd v Aston Villa predictions: Another high-scoring affair looks likely

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Manchester United v Aston Villa in the EFL Cup on Thursday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Football, 8pm Thursday

Best bets

Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals
2pts 5-4 bet365, Boylesports

Danny Ings first goalscorer
1pt each-way 10-1 bet365

Team news

Manchester United
Raphael Varane, Axel Tuanzebe and Brandon Williams remain sidelined while Jadon Sancho and Antony are doubts. Bruno Fernandes is back from suspension.

Aston Villa
Long-term absentees Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho remain out while Leander Dendoncker and Jan Bednarek are both cup tied.

Match preview

Unai Emery picked up a win in his first game in charge of Aston Villa, beating Manchester United 3-1 on Sunday, and the new manager will be hoping to repeat the trick when the two teams face off in the EFL Cup just four days later.

That result followed a run of one win from six matches during which Steven Gerrard lost his job and Emery returned to English football three years after departing Arsenal.

Defeat at Villa Park capped off a disappointing week for Manchester United, who also missed out on top spot in their Europa League group and ended up drawing Barcelona in the knockout round.

Now they must pick themselves back up for this meeting in the third round of the EFL Cup, a competition in which both sides have been successful throughout their history.

The pair have each won this trophy five times and finished runners-up on four occasions, with the Red Devils' most recent success coming in the 2016-17 season, while the Villans were pipped by Manchester City in the 2019-20 final.

Recent head-to-head clashes have tended to be high-scoring, exciting encounters with both teams to score and over 2.5 goals landing in four of the last six meetings between these sides.

The same bet can be fancied in this encounter with both teams likely to play their part in an entertaining cup tie.

With the World Cup just around the corner, both managers may look to rotate their line-ups, giving chances to some fringe players and youngsters.

Villa striker Danny Ings may be a beneficiary after he was left out of the starting line-up in the Premier League on Sunday as Emery decided to start Leon Bailey in his place.

It is likely that the new manager will stick with the 4-2-2-2 formation which he utilised in his first game and Ings may see more game time as a result.

The forward netted in Villa’s 4-1 win over Bolton in the second round of this competition and has three league goals from seven starts this season. With goals on the cards, he is fancied to break the deadlock at Old Trafford.