BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson has predicted the scoreline of the late kick-off in the Premier League on Saturday, Aston Villa vs Man United.
It’s the second consecutive clash between the two sides, following an FA Cup Third Round tie at Old Trafford on Monday night.
United won that one 1-0, but the Red Devils rode their luck on home turf.
Danny Ings saw a goal controversially ruled out following a lengthy VAR check and many thought the Villans were unfortunate to be knocked out.
Lawrenson predicts narrow Villa win over Man United
When the two sides meet this weekend, it’ll be on Villa’s home patch and Lawro thinks there’ll be a different winner.
‘Aston Villa were hard done by when they lost at Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday night, and I reckon they will reverse that result at Villa Park,’ he wrote [BBC Sport].
‘New Villa midfielder Philippe Coutinho will be available, but I don’t know whether he will start because he has not played many minutes recently. He’ll probably be on the bench and if they need a lift – and a trick or two – they can bring him on.
‘It is United who have got more problems at the moment, though. I really thought we would see an improvement under Ralf Rangnick.
‘Their results haven’t been that bad, other than their loss to Wolves at the start of the year, but their performances have mostly been poor and there are obviously some deep-rooted problems inside the club that need to be sorted out.’
His scoreline prediction is 2-1 to Villa.
Will the Villans down the Red Devils in Birmingham?
A glance at the Premier League table could give you the impression that Lawro’s prediction is far-fetched.
After all, United are seven places and nine points above their opponents.
However, that certainly doesn’t tell the full story, with many of United’s players currently looking low in confidence and motivation, while Villa have improved since Steven Gerrard’s appointment as manager.
They’ve recruited two high-profile players already this month in Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne, both of whom are available for the match, and they’ll be determined to exact revenge on the visitors for their early cup exit.
This one should be tight, and Villa have a decent chance of edging it.
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