It was Aston Villa who had the upper hand in the reverse fixture, as they secured a 2-1 victory at Villa Park, but Man United have won each of the last five competitive meetings at Old Trafford - there is very little to split the two sides coming into this clash, and both will fancy their chances of securing the three points.

Aston Villa were picked apart by Chelsea in their last Premier League outing, and were on the receiving end of a 4-1 battering at Villa Park. The Blues racked up 3.6 xG in that game, and they found it easy to pick gaps in Villa’s defence. Unai Emery’s men have looked a bit vulnerable in defensive areas recently, and they also conceded three goals against Newcastle in the FA Cup.

Man United come into this clash in better form, and over 2.5 goals has landed in each of their last two matches.

United have also seen an uptick in cards when playing in Manchester, with 1.86 cards per game at home, compared to just 1.50 on the road.

This selection has landed in eight of the last 10 games at Old Trafford, and Aston Villa are an excellent matchup to improve that hit-rate even further. Unai Emery’s men have drawn the most infringements out of all Premier League teams this season, which has also translated to the most cards for their opponents. 

This selection has landed in nine of the last 10 head-to-head encounters between the two sides, and with little to split them in the league standings, it should again be a competitive affair.

Luke Shaw is as reliable as defenders come in terms of consistent fouling, committing at least one in 18 of his last 19 league starts, only failing to draw the attention of the officials against Palace, where he was withdrawn after 24 minutes. Across the season, the left back averages 1.32 fouls per 90, and he also made two in the reverse fixture.

Opponents Aston Villa are the most fouled team in the Premier League, forcing 12.9 per game, and so Shaw will be in for a tough afternoon. He’ll also be in direct opposition with Matty Cash and Morgan Rogers who, between them, have been brought down 2.21 times per 90.

Harry Maguire can take quite a heavy responsibility for that record, as he is averaging 1.35 fouls per 90 against Aston Villa, and has picked up five yellow cards in his last nine starts against them. However, the focus here is on him to be fouled, which has become a market of interest since Michael Carrick took charge.

Maguire hadn’t started any of the previous 11 matches before the new manager arrived, but the centre back has found a new lease of life at the back again and has started all of Man United’s last eight games. In that time, he has been fouled 12 times, taking his average to 1.0 fouls drawn per 90 this season. Maguire has been a lot more willing to hit the deck when he feels contact recently, which works to alleviate the pressure on his side.

The return of Bruno Fernandes to peak form has been a key reason for Man United’s resurgence, and his numbers since the start of January have been impressive. He has accrued two goals and eight assists in 10 starts across all competitions, landing this selection in eight matches. 

That has propelled his tally to seven goals and 15 assists for the season, which again ranks him as Man United’s most effective player in the final third.

Even though he failed to register a goal involvement when he last faced Aston Villa, it is worth noting that Bruno Fernandes was playing in a deeper role alongside Manuel Ugarte, and he only lasted 45 minutes before coming off with an injury. Fernandes has a solid record against Villa, and he provided an assist for Amad Diallo when he last faced them at Old Trafford.

Casemiro scored the only goal for Man United against Newcastle last time out, as he glanced in a header from a pinpoint Fernandes cross. Those two have formed a real partnership going forward, and the Portuguese international usually looks to find Casemiro from his crosses into the box. The Brazilian international also scored against Fulham a couple of weeks ago, and once again it was Fernandes who provided the assist.

Carrick has really tried to get Casemiro involved a lot more in the final third, as he has a knack for popping up in dangerous positions in the box. The former Real Madrid man is averaging 1.86 shots per 90 across all competitions this season, rising to 2.07 when playing at Old Trafford. He has racked up seven shots in his last two home outings alone, and four of those have hit the target.

After suffering a calf injury in the game against Chelsea, Matty Cash is yet to be given a concrete return date, but the Polish international was comprehensively ruled out of the Europa League clash against Lille.

He looks set for an extended spell on the sidelines, which should provide an opportunity for Lamare Bogarde to lock down some consistent minutes in the starting eleven. 

However, right back is not his most natural position, and opposing sides will look to exploit that. He will have to deal with Matheus Cunha here, who is averaging 2.26 fouls drawn per 90 this season, or potentially Bryan Mbeumo. It could be a long night for the Dutchman. 

Bogarde is averaging 1.67 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season, and he has picked up seven yellow cards this season, despite his limited minutes.