Manchester United v. Aston Villa - Match Preview

Sir Alex Ferguson will be desperate for his side to get three valuable points against struggling Villa to keep in touch with Chelsea and unbeaten Arsenal at the top of the table. Chelsea's pre-season spend-a-thon has proved successful so far, with the Blues topping the Premiership table, but close London rivals Arsenal sit only a point behind. United are now 4 points off the top of the pile, and anything other than a win tomorrow could leave United with a small mountain to climb.

Skipper Roy Keane, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Rio Ferdinand are all set to return to the starting line-up following being left out of the United squad that was dumped out of the League Cup by West Bromwich Albion during mid-week. Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to only keep John O'Shea in the starting line-up from the starting line-up that were beaten at the Hawthorns.

As for the visitors, Welsh defender Mark Delaney could make a surprise return to the Villains starting line-up following a long-lay off with injury. Peter Whittingham is also set to return after being rested for Villa's Cup victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

David O'Leary is finding his return to management tricky at Villa Park, and the pressure is already on the Irishman as the Midlands outfit find themselves only a point off the relegation zone after 14 Premiership outings. Villa are yet to win on their travels all season, and have never won a Premier League game at Old Trafford.

In this fixture last season, United could only muster a 1-1 draw against Villa, with Diego Forlan ending a long goal drought by heading home his first league goal for the club. However, at Villa Park, despite some nervy moments the travelling support went home happy following a 1-0 victory, thanks to a David Beckham strike.

Chelsea and Arsenal both face tricky games tomorrow, meaning victory for United could bring them right back into the frame. Claudio Ranieri's foreign legion visit bottom placed Leeds United, who won away at Charlton Athletic last weekend, and Arsenal travel to the Walkers Stadium to take on the unpredictable Leicester City.

ManUtdWeb Prediction - Manchester United 2-0 Aston Villa
The pressure is on United to come up with an expected three points, but normally this is when Sir Alex gets the best out of his players. I just hope we can put the disappointment of last 7 days behind us and keep ourselves in touch with the two London clubs.

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