Preview: Manchester United v Aston Villa
How to follow the match: Saturday’s Barclays Premier League game against Aston Villa will kick off at 15:00 BST. It will not be broadcast live on TV in the UK but fans can follow the action via ManUtd.com's live match blog and the club's official Twitter account @ManUtd. Live coverage on MUTV starts with Match Day Live at 14:00 BST, followed by live radio commentary.
Scene-setter: Manchester United will be looking to build on Wednesday’s 2-1 Emirates FA Cup win at West Ham United to reduce the four-point deficit to fourth-placed Man City. Villa are 15 points and a mathematical miracle away from Premier League safety; their impending relegation could be confirmed before kick-off at Old Trafford, if Norwich City get a point against Sunderland in Saturday’s lunchtime fixture.
Last meeting: Adnan Januzaj’s first-half strike gave United a 1-0 away win in August as the Reds' unbeaten run at Villa Park was extended to 20 league matches. Louis van Gaal's men also ran out 3-1 winners in last April’s home fixture, thanks to Ander Herrera’s brace and a goal from Wayne Rooney.
Form guide: Wednesday’s victory over West Ham was a much-needed morale boost after last weekend's 3-0 league defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, although that was preceded by impressive back-to-back wins against Everton and Manchester City. The Villans have only picked up six points on the road this season and have failed to win away since the first game of the season at Bournemouth.
Latest team news: Wayne Rooney made his first-team return as an injury-time substitute in Wednesday’s game at Upton Park, while Phil Jones is pushing for inclusion after playing 90 minutes for the Under-21s on Monday night. Januzaj, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Luke Shaw and Will Keane are still sidelined. Villa are set to be without Jordan Amavi and Gabriel Agbonlahor but Jack Grealish and Adama Traore have been declared fit.
View from the dressing room: "Aston Villa haven’t had a good season so, if we can score goals and win the game, it would be a step forward for us. We’re still in the hunt for the top four and it’s up to us to give our all to the end of the season." – Anthony Martial, speaking to United Review.
View from the opposition: "I like to think we can get a draw at Old Trafford to restore some semblance of pride, but I really don't like to predict scores at the moment! Considering how hard I found games at Old Trafford, I would love to see us get a result there.” – ex-Villa midfielder Ian Taylor, also in United Review.
Danger man: Amid Villa’s struggles, Jordan Ayew has shown glimpses of why the club signed him in their search for Christian Benteke’s replacement this summer. The 24-year-old Ghana international is the Villans' top scorer with six league goals, one of which came in their last outing against Bournemouth, when he fired a powerful strike past Artur Boruc.
How to follow the match: Saturday’s Barclays Premier League game against Aston Villa will kick off at 15:00 BST. It will not be broadcast live on TV in the UK but fans can follow the action via ManUtd.com's live match blog and the club's official Twitter account @ManUtd. Live coverage on MUTV starts with Match Day Live at 14:00 BST, followed by live radio commentary.
Scene-setter: Manchester United will be looking to build on Wednesday’s 2-1 Emirates FA Cup win at West Ham United to reduce the four-point deficit to fourth-placed Man City. Villa are 15 points and a mathematical miracle away from Premier League safety; their impending relegation could be confirmed before kick-off at Old Trafford, if Norwich City get a point against Sunderland in Saturday’s lunchtime fixture.
Last meeting: Adnan Januzaj’s first-half strike gave United a 1-0 away win in August as the Reds' unbeaten run at Villa Park was extended to 20 league matches. Louis van Gaal's men also ran out 3-1 winners in last April’s home fixture, thanks to Ander Herrera’s brace and a goal from Wayne Rooney.
Form guide: Wednesday’s victory over West Ham was a much-needed morale boost after last weekend's 3-0 league defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, although that was preceded by impressive back-to-back wins against Everton and Manchester City. The Villans have only picked up six points on the road this season and have failed to win away since the first game of the season at Bournemouth.
Latest team news: Wayne Rooney made his first-team return as an injury-time substitute in Wednesday’s game at Upton Park, while Phil Jones is pushing for inclusion after playing 90 minutes for the Under-21s on Monday night. Januzaj, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Luke Shaw and Will Keane are still sidelined. Villa are set to be without Jordan Amavi and Gabriel Agbonlahor but Jack Grealish and Adama Traore have been declared fit.
View from the dressing room: "Aston Villa haven’t had a good season so, if we can score goals and win the game, it would be a step forward for us. We’re still in the hunt for the top four and it’s up to us to give our all to the end of the season." – Anthony Martial, speaking to United Review.
View from the opposition: "I like to think we can get a draw at Old Trafford to restore some semblance of pride, but I really don't like to predict scores at the moment! Considering how hard I found games at Old Trafford, I would love to see us get a result there.” – ex-Villa midfielder Ian Taylor, also in United Review.
Danger man: Amid Villa’s struggles, Jordan Ayew has shown glimpses of why the club signed him in their search for Christian Benteke’s replacement this summer. The 24-year-old Ghana international is the Villans' top scorer with six league goals, one of which came in their last outing against Bournemouth, when he fired a powerful strike past Artur Boruc.
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