ASTON VILLA v MANCHESTER UNITED - UNITED MAKE THEIR MARK AT VILLA PARK?
Villa fans got possibly the worst draw they could have imagined when they were paired with Manchester United in the FA Cup 3rd round. The poor old Villans have an appalling recent record against the Red Devils having lost the last 12 meetings between the sides. In fact, Villa have not beaten United in 9 years, that’s 20 matches without success against Sir Alex Ferguson’s team. If that’s not bad enough they’ve also lost the last 5 FA Cup encounters with United, this includes three 3rd round exits in the last 6 years alone. The last time Villa managed to beat a United side in the greatest domestic cup competition in the world over half a century ago, 51 years to be precise in the 1957 cup final. So I wouldn’t start pencilling in a trip to Wembley just yet Villa fans.
Martin O’Neill’s young side have recovered from a miserable run of form in December and have now won their last 2 matches so their confidence will be high. Villa are 5 matches unbeaten including a draw at Stamford Bridge so they have proved they can compete with the Premier League’s big guns. However, their home form is hardly impressive with just 1 win in their last 4 matches and don’t expect United to concede poor defensive goals like Tottenham did on New Year’s Day.
United bounced back from a shock defeat at Upton Park with a narrow home win over Birmingham on New Year’s Day but their away form is a concern for Fergie. The Red Devils have won just 2 of their last 6 away matches in all competitions. However, Villa Park has become a happy hunting ground for United over the years. The most significant stat for Saturday’s match is that the Red Devils haven’t been knocked out of the FA Cup at the 3rd round stage for 24 years. Therefore its hard to see last season’s finalists not progressing to the 4th round come Saturday. So back a United victory at the Villa on Premier 10.
Pundit’s Pick: Red Devils reach round 4 (away win)
Tags: 05/01/08, Aston Villa, FA CUP, Manchester United, Martin O'Neill, Red Devils, Villans
