Aston Villa vs Man Utd Bet Builder Tips: Thriller expected at Villa Park

Manchester United will look to close the gap on Aston Villa when the two teams meet at Villa Park on Sunday in the Premier League.

Eight points currently separate the two sides ahead of kick-off, with Villa two places ahead of the Red Devils after 23 matches.

Erik ten Hag's side ran out 3-2 winners earlier in the season against Villa on Boxing Day, and another entertaining battle should be on the cards this weekend.

Over 2.5 goals 

Villa's home record this season has been celebrated as Unai Emery continues to take his team to new heights. However, the Villans have struggled of late, winning only one of their last five in all competitions.

At least for Villa, that victory was convincing, with Emery's men running out 5-0 winners against Sheffield United last  weekend.

In their last two matches at home, Villa have lost 3-1 to both Newcastle United and Chelsea in the FA Cup, so United will fancy their chances of finding the back of the net.

Villa have scored in every home game they have played in since October 2022, but United are unbeaten in five and have scored 19 in their last seven appearances in all competitions, including that 3-2 victory over Villa on Boxing Day when they turned it around after trailing 0-2 after 26 minutes.

Ollie Watkins to score anytime

England international Watkins is still the main man at Villa Park, and he has already equalled his goal contribution tally from last season in the Premier League.

Last year, he scored 15 goals and grabbed six assists, while this season, he has scored 11 and picked up 10 assists.

Watkins was on the scoresheet in the 5-0 rout over the Blades, and he has the pace and strength to punish United's defence, who will be without the injured Lisandro Martinez.

Total Booking Points - Over 39.5

Both teams will look to lay down a marker from the first whistle, and if this game is anything like the one in December, we should be in for a cracking afternoon.

There were four yellow cards in the previous meeting, and Villa have collected 63 this season, placing them third in the standings, with only Chelsea and Sheffield United ahead of them.

Ten Hag's side have not been squeaky clean either, collecting 54 yellow cards of their own, and we have a feeling both teams will leave everything out there as they try to make a statement.

Villa need to respond from successive defeats at home, while a win for United would be a big statement after a five-match unbeaten run.

We suspect tempers will reach boiling point at times, and this game could be one for the neutral as both teams try to bolster their hopes of a top-four finish.