At 21 o'clock on October 6, Beijing time, in the 7th round of the English Premier League, Manchester United challenged Villa away. For Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, it was a game he could not afford to lose: a defeat to Villa would see the Reds get off to the worst start to the Premier League in their first seven games.
Can Manchester United beat Villa for 5 in a row
Looking at the historical head-to-head record, Manchester United have an absolute advantage: in 132 years, the two teams have faced each other 198 times, and Manchester United has won 106, drawn 41 and lost 51. In the last four meetings, Manchester United has completed four consecutive kills against Villa in the League Cup and the Premier League.
Villa have won just one of their last 25 Premier League home games against Manchester United: Unai Emery made his debut in charge of Villa in November 2022, winning 3-1 at Manchester United. According to OPTA, United have beaten Villa 40 times in Premier League history, and a win of one more would see United equalise the record for wins against a single team (41 beats to Everton).
Ten Hag can't afford to lose! Defeat = 32 years of shame in the Premier League
In the first six rounds of the Premier League, Manchester United only got seven points. What level is this? In 32 years of the Premier League, Manchester United's seven points in the first six games are the lowest score, the same as David Moyes in 2013-14 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020-21. However, David Moyes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both won their seventh game of the season, taking 10 points from seven games.
If United lose to Villa, Ten Hag will only take seven points from the opening seven games, which would be the worst start for United in the Premier League in 32 years! For Manchester United, it's another battle of dignity and Ten Hag can't afford to lose. Manchester United spent a lot of money on signings this summer and still trust Ten Hag. Without good results to repay the management and fans, Ten Hag's position is difficult to secure.
With three clean sheets in six games, who will save Manchester United
In the Premier League this season, Manchester United have only scored 5 goals in 6 games, including 0 goals in 3 games - that is, Manchester United has not been able to score in half of the games, which is at the bottom of the Premier League. Manchester United don't have a reliable firepower and the last seven league goals have been scored by seven different players. The five Premier League goals this season were scored by De Ligt, Rashford, Zirkze, Diallo and Garnacho.
Ten Hag still has to count on Rashford. In the last 6 games in all competitions, Master La has scored 4 goals. However, Rashford has scored just one goal in nine Premier League appearances against Villa, with his only goal coming in 2016. In the following 8 years and 8 Premier League games, Master La failed to break through the door of Villa. Can Rashford be Ten Hag's savior in this game?
Manchester United expected starting XI (4231): Onana/Mazraoui, De Ligt, Lisandro, Dalot/Menu, Ugarte/Garnacho, B Fee, Rashford/Zirkze