New Aston Villa manager Unai Emery will take charge of the Premier League side for the first time as the former Arsenal, Sevilla, and Villarreal boss matches up against Manchester United in his debut for the club.
Emery was selected to replace the dismissed Steven Gerrard who was let go after a resounding 3-0 defeat to Fulham in which Douglas Luiz was sent off early for violent conduct. It seems harsh in retrospect, as Luiz’s red card suspension was later rescinded by the Premier League. Still, Gerrard left the club in a relegation battle which was only made more difficult by last weekend’s 4-0 disaster at the hands of Newcastle.
The new boss’s debut will come against Cristiano Ronaldo, who was reprimanded only two weeks ago for leaving the pitch before the match against Tottenham had concluded, but he is back in Erik ten Hag’s favor and could see time in this match.
Quietly, Manchester United haven’t lost since the 6-3 defeat to rivals Manchester City back in early October, now on an eight-match unbeaten streak across all competitions. They are just outside the top four, while Villa are on the opposite end of the table just outside the bottom three on goal difference.
MORE: Updated Premier League table & standings
▶ Europe
▶ Silverware
▶ Progress up the Premier LeagueNew boss Unai Emery is aiming high for his tenure at Villa Park 🔝
What do you think Villa fans? 🤔#BBCFootball #AVFC pic.twitter.com/i2ttUe0o9U
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) November 4, 2022
Aston Villa vs Man United live stream, TV channel
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| Australia | Mon, Nov. 7 | 01:00 AEDT | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | Sun, Nov. 6 | 09:00 ET | — | fuboTV Canada |
| Hong Kong | Sun, Nov. 6 | 22:00 HKT | — | Now E |
| India | Sun, Nov. 6 | 19:30 IST | — | JioTV, Disney+ Hotstar |
| Malaysia | Sun, Nov. 6 | 22:00 MYT | Astro Supersport | Astro Go |
| New Zealand | Mon, Nov. 7 | 03:00 NZDT | — | Sky Go, Sky Sport NOW |
| Singapore | Sun, Nov. 6 | 22:00 SGT | — | Premier+ on StarHub TV+ |
| UK | Sun, Nov. 6 | 14:00 GMT | — | — |
| USA | Sun, Nov. 6 | 09:00 ET | — | Peacock |
UK: Saturday’s match between Aston Villa and Manchester United from Villa Park will only be available via radio broadcast in the UK.
USA: The match will only be available to subscribers of NBC streaming platform Peacock.
Canada: Premier League matches can be seen in Canada all season long on fuboTV, the nation’s leading streaming service for world-class soccer.
Australia: Australia’s sole broadcaster for the Premier League is Optus Sport.
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Session one at Bodymoor Heath. 💪
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) November 2, 2022
Aston Villa vs. Man United lineups, team news
According to multiple reports, Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martinez should be back for Villa after being forced to leave last week’s match following a first-half head injury. But Boubacar Kamara (knee) remains out and his participation at the 2022 World Cup could be in jeopardy.
Full-back Lucas Digne returned from his ankle injury last week and could be ready to make his first start since being sidelined. Left-back Ludwig Augustinsson is out with a hamstring injury, while center-back Diego Carlos has been sidelined since mid-August with an Achilles tear.
The biggest question is whether Emery sees a way in for Philippe Coutinho or whether he sticks with Emiliano Buendia in the No. 10 role. Trying to fit them both in the same lineup together gave Steven Gerrard headaches before his dismissal.
Aston Villa projected starting lineup (4-2-3-1, left to right): Martinez (GK) — Digne, Mings, Konsa, Cash — Dendoncker, Douglas Luiz — Bailey, Buendia, Watkins — Ings.
With doubts around the availability of Jadon Sancho (illness), Anthony Martial (back), and Antony (leg), the expectation is that Cristiano Ronaldo is in the starting lineup at center forward.
The multiple absences provide an opportunity for Anthony Elanga or teenager Alejandro Garnacho on one wing, with Marcus Rashford lining up on the opposite side.
Cristian Eriksen has recently moved back into a deeper midfield role. However, with Bruno Fernandes suspended for this game due to yellow card accumulation, Eriksen could move up to the No. 10 spot.
At the back, Raphael Varane is out through at least the World Cup break, leaving Harry Maguire or Victor Lindelof to replace him at center-back. The Swede is judged to be the preferred choice to pair up with Lisandro Martinez.
Man United projected starting lineup (4-3-3, left to right): de Gea (GK) — Shaw, Martinez, Lindelof, Dalot — Fred, Casemiro — Rashford, Eriksen, Elanga — Ronaldo.
High spirits 📈
Higher work rate 💪#MUFC || #UEL— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 2, 2022
Aston Villa vs. Man United betting odds, pick & prediction
Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), & SkyBet (UK).
United are significant favorites in this match, although the new manager boost does seem to give Villa more than just a fighting chance. Goals are expected, probably due to Villa’s defensive failures over the last few weeks, but both teams to score is also a heavy favorite.
Manchester United have become more defensively solid under Erik ten Hag, able to keep teams out of the net and take their chances at the other end. And in his first match at the helm, Unai Emery is also likely to focus on Aston Villa’s defensive cohesion before reconfiguring the attack.
These defense-first approaches could mean that goals might actually be tougher to come by in this game.
- Pick: Both Teams to Score.- NO (+110)
- Prediction: Aston Villa 0-1 Man United
MORE: Today’s best bets and daily expert predictions from The Sporting News
| BetMGM | Sports Interaction |
SkyBet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa win | +260 | 3.46 | 5/2 |
| Draw | +250 | 3.42 | 5/2 |
| Man United win | +100 | 2.01 | 21/20 |
| Both teams to score Y / N |
-155 / +110 | 1.62 / 2.02 | 8/13, 6/5 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
-135 / +100 | 1.77 / 1.94 | 4/5, 10/11 |
| Man United -0.5 | -110 | 2.00 | — |
| Aston Villa +0.5 | -130 | 1.76 | — |
