Man Utd v Aston Villa predictions, odds and betting tips: Villans can add to Red Devils' woes

Paddy Power are offering £40 in free bets on Man Utd v Aston Villa. You can grab your free bet here. We’ve included instructions on how to grab your offer later on in this article.

Where to watch Man Utd v Aston Villa

You can watch Man Utd v Aston Villa in the Premier League on Tuesday December 26, live on Amazon Prime Video at 8pm

Match prediction & best bet

Aston Villa
3pts 9-5 bet365, Coral

You can bet on Man Utd v Aston Villa here and get £40 in free bets with Paddy Power

Man Utd v Aston Villa odds

Man Utd 6-4
Aston Villa 9-5
Draw 13-5

Odds correct at time of publishing

Man Utd v Aston Villa team news

Man Utd
Raphael Varane (illness) may return in place of centre-back Willy Kambwala. Diogo Dalot is back from a ban but Mason Mount, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Victor Lindelof and Tyrell Malacia remain sidelined.

Aston Villa
Defender Pau Torres is a doubt. Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash are suspended and Bertrand Traore, Tyrone Mings, Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia and Robin Olsen are injured.

Man Utd v Aston Villa predictions

Manchester United's woeful record against the stronger teams in the Premier League continued with Saturday's 2-0 defeat at West Ham and highflying Aston Villa can extend that trend at Old Trafford.

Villa missed the chance to go top of the table on Friday as their 15-match winning streak at home was ended by a 1-1 draw against Sheffield United.

However, a haul of 39 points from 18 games meant it was still a happy Christmas for Unai Emery's squad and they can frank the form of the league table with a victory over the Red Devils.

United have lost six of their seven games against top-nine teams this term and the exception was the recent 0-0 draw with Liverpool at Anfield, where the Reds had eight shots on target to their visitors' one.

The Red Devils drew a blank in front of goal for the fifth time in six matches at West Ham on Saturday and, having been humbled by the Hammers, they are in desperate need of some heroes against the Villans.

Manager Erik ten Hag is severely lacking confident attacking players. Striker Rasmus Hojlund's five goals in the Champions League could not prevent his side finishing bottom of their group and the Danish youngster is yet to find the net in 14 Premier League appearances.

Marcus Rashford, so often the matchwinner for United in Ten Hag's first season at the club, has struggled this term and a defensive injury crisis meant that veteran Jonny Evans started alongside debutant Willy Kambwala at the London Stadium.

That was United's tenth different centre-back pairing of the campaign, which hasn't helped goalkeeper Andre Onana during his tough start at Old Trafford, and Ten Hag's midfield plans have been undermined by Mason Mount's injuries and Sofyan Amrabat's patchy performances.

But apart from the manager, goalkeeper, defence, midfield, attack, a messy, disruptive takeover saga, and the one-star food hygiene rating awarded to Old Trafford this month, what have United fans got to complain about?

Their last home league game ended in a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth – a scoreline that arguably flattered the hosts – and Villa can make it eight losses in 15 games for United at Old Trafford this term.

Their stunning home form has powered their surge up the table but they have also won at Tottenham, Chelsea, Brentford and Burnley this term. Before the shock draw with the Blades they had beaten Arsenal and Manchester City, both by a 1-0 margin, in their previous two matches on their own patch.

Champions City managed only two shots at Villa Park, which suggest the Villa defence should cope with a misfiring United attack, and the visitors, unlike their hosts, have an in-form striker in Ollie Watkins and a midfield that is packed with attacking menace.   

Key stat

Manchester United have failed to score in five of their last six matches in all competitions.

Probable teams

Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Evans, Varane, Shaw; Eriksen, McTominay; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
Subs: Wan-Bissaka, Antony, Martial, Pellistri, Mainoo, Kambwala, Amrabat

Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Lenglet, Digne; Bailey, McGinn, Luiz, Ramsey; Diaby; Watkins
Subs: Moreno, Zaniolo, Duran, Dendoncker, Chambers, O'Reilly, Torres

Inside info

Man Utd

Star man Bruno Fernandes
Top scorer Bruno Fernandes
Penalty taker Bruno Fernandes
Card magnet Luke Shaw
Assist ace Bruno Fernandes
Set-piece aerial threat Scott McTominay

Aston Villa

Star man Ollie Watkins
Top scorer Ollie Watkins
Penalty taker Douglas Luiz
Card magnet Lucas Digne
Assist ace Ollie Watkins
Set-piece aerial threat Pau Torres

Man Utd v Aston Villa bet builder predictions

Aston Villa to win
Manchester United have lost seven of their 14 home games in all competitions and Aston Villa are 11 points clear of the Red Devils after 18 Premier League matches

Under 3.5 goals
United have failed to score in five of their last six matches and none of their last 13 league games have featured over 3.5 goals

Douglas Luiz to score or assist 
Villa's Brazilian midfielder has contributed five goals and three assists in 17 league appearances this season and he is the club's first-choice penalty-taker

Pays out at 17-2 with Paddy Power

Grab a £40 Paddy Power Premier League free bet on Man Utd v Aston Villa

We’ve already mentioned that Paddy Power are offering a £40 free bet for Man Utd v Aston Villa

Well, you can follow these simple steps outlined below to grab your £40 free bet to place on Man Utd v Aston Villa in the Premier League. It's fast, secure and straightforward.

1. Head over to Paddy Power through this link and click the Join button on their homepage
2. Create your username and password
3. Make a deposit of £10 or more using a card & place a bet on a sportsbook market with odds of 1-2 or greater
4. You will be rewarded with £40 of free bet tokens added to your balance 

Paddy Power Premier League 2023 betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new player promotion before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of the details of this Premier League betting offer and what's expected of you as a new player.

• New UK & ROI customers only
• Minimum deposit £10 bet at minimum odds of 1-2 to qualify 
• Get £40 in free bets, valid for 30 days
• SMS verification required
• Bets placed on greyhound racing markets are excluded.
• Only deposits via cards will qualify

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.