Manchester United vs Aston Villa: Premier League – teams, start, lineups

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Who: Manchester United vs Aston Villa
What: English football’s Premier League
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom
When: Sunday March 15, at 2pm (14:00 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live coverage begins at 11:00 GMT

Manchester United and Aston Villa face a crunch clash on Sunday in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification.

Man Utd look to bounce back from first defeat under Carrick

Manchester United’s ⁠interim manager Michael Carrick on Friday said his players were “itching to get going” again, after suffering their first ⁠defeat under his leadership.

Last week, 10-man Newcastle United ended Carrick’s unbeaten run since he replaced Ruben ⁠Amorim in January.

“I understand the first defeat feels different but it was going to come at ‌some point. Most teams have suffered that at some point,” Carrick told reporters.

“It has been a really good week in some ways, we have put ourselves in a position where there is a lot to play for.”

Carrick brushes off Scholes dig at Man Utd

United’s ⁠defeat by Newcastle prompted a dig from former player Paul Scholes, ⁠who wrote on Instagram: “Michael has definitely got something special about him … cos Utd have been crap last four games.”

Asked about his former teammate’s comment, Carrick said: “It was nothing really, nothing to say about it really.

“I think that is just where we are in terms of social media and things, and captions and quotes. It can be taken in different ways, so just be calm about it and understand the real meaning of things.

“Listen, there are different opinions out there and it’s fine. People can have different opinions.

“It’s just things get taken from one extreme to another. It is what it is. I am not worried about it and don’t make a big deal of it either.

“There’s nothing to say about it, really,” he said.

How have Aston Villa fared in the Premier League this season?

Villa had a turbulent start to the campaign, as they failed to register a win in their first five league matches – losing two. A run of 12 league wins in 13, however, propelled them into a title challenge by the turn of the year.

A 4-1 defeat at Arsenal on New Year’s Eve marked the start of another downturn, though, with only three wins recorded in 11 games starting with the defeat in London.

The midlands club have lost three of their last five on the road in the league, recording only one win in that time.

Last up for Man Utd

United suffered their first defeat under Carrick in their match at Newcastle United on March 4.

The home side were reduced to 10 men when Jacob Ramsey was sent off on the stroke of half-time.

It came in a frantic end to the first half that saw Anthony Gorden give Newcastle an injury-time lead from the penalty spot, only for Casemiro to head home an equaliser to send the sides in level.

William Osula netted the winner in the 90th minute to give Eddie Howe’s side all three points despite their numerical disadvantage.

“It was disappointing the way the game ended (against Newcastle) but we have digested that, looked at it and learned from it,” Carrick said ahead of the Villa match.

“We have trained really well this week and the boys are itching to get going.”

Last up for Aston Villa

Villa were 1-0 winners at Lille in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, ending a four-game winless streak that included three defeats.

Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the game in the 61st minute.

The return leg will be played at Villa Park on Thursday.

What happened the last time Man Utd played Aston Villa?

Villa recorded a 2-1 win in the reverse Premier League fixture at Villa Park in December, despite an encouraging display for Ruben Amorim’s United.

Morgan Rogers scored both goals for Villa – his first was scored in the 45th minute but United were level in first-half stoppage time through Matheus Cunha.

What happened in the corresponding fixture between Man Utd and Villa last season?

United were 2-1 winners in the Premier League match at Old Trafford last season.

The Red Devils were greatly aided by the sending off of Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez just before the break.

Amad Diallo and an 87th minute Christian Eriksen penalty sealed the win for the home side.

Head-to-head

This will be the 202nd meeting between the clubs with Manchester United winning 107 of the matches. Aston Villa have won 52 of the encounters, which date back to November 1892 and a 2-0 home win for United in the old Division One.

Manchester United team news

Carrick said Mason Mount had taken a “big step” and could return from a two-month absence against Villa this weekend.

The ‌midfielder missed their last six league games due to injury.

“He is an important player for us,” he said.

“He is not 100 percent and he has only trained for a small period of time. ‌But ‌he is back and that’s good for us. We will see if he is involved on Sunday. That is it in terms of the players coming back.”

Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Dorgu and Mason Mount all remain absent though, and Lisandro Martinez has been added to that list with a calf injury, while there remains an injury doubt over Luke Shaw.

The defender was forced off with injury in the defeat by Newcastle, but Noussair Mazraoui, who also came off injured in that game, is set to be available.