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Manchester United vs Aston Villa Odds & Prediction – FA Cup Third Round

Gary Gowers

by Gary Gowers in Soccer News

Updated Jan 9, 2022 · 4:11 PM PST

Bruno Fernandes's shot hits the post
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes's shot hits the post during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Monday, Jan.3, 2022. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
  • It is Manchester United vs Aston Villa in the Third Round of the FA Cup on Monday, January 10 at 2:55pm ET
  • United needs a win to keep alive their season, while Steven Gerrard’ s Villa sees the chance of an upset
  • We preview the game, look at the odds, and offer some picks below

Manchester United hosts Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Monday, January 10 at 2:55 pm ET in the Third Round of the FA Cup.

United’s disappointing season has been lifted by the arrival of Ralf Rangnick in the manager’s seat but performances have still been poor. The FA Cup does however offer them another route to silverware.

For Villa, their owners have spent lavishly on Steven Gerrard’s squad and will be looking for a return on their investment. The FA Cup offers that. Outside of the big six, Villa is one of that small group of teams that could win this competition.

We list the odds, preview Manchester United vs Aston Villa, and offer below the best picks for this FA Cup Third Round clash.

Manchester United vs Aston Villa Odds

Matchup Spread Moneyline Total
Manchester United vs Aston Villa MNU -0.75 (-118) | AST +0.75 (-104) MNU -150| DRAW +290 | AST +415 Ov 2.5 (-127) | Un 2.5 (+102)

Odds as of January 9 at BarStool.

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Rangnick Already Under Pressure

Rangnick’s impressive few weeks as United’s interim head coach hit the buffers on Monday night when they were outplayed and beaten 1-0 by Wolves in front of an unhappy Old Trafford. The five-game unbeaten run that preceded Wolves’ win merely covered the cracks of a team full of talent but which has very little togetherness.

Villa will fancy their chances here and the talk of an unhappy United dressing room will only add to their belief that a win is possible. This competition does, however, represent United’s most realistic chance of winning a trophy this season.

Quality But Disharmony in United Squad

The Red Devils do have pedigree in this competition – they’ve won it 12 times – with their last win coming in 2016 when, in Louis van Gaal’s final game in charge, they beat Crystal Palace 2-1 after extra time. Last season they made it to the FA Cup quarterfinal, losing away to the eventual winners Leicester, and the season before were beaten by Chelsea in the semifinal.

The big question here will be if Rangnick can somehow bring some form of harmony to the United dressing room; at least enough for them to produce a performance. What is not in question is the quality they have in their squad.

Manchester United vs Aston Villa Head-to-Head Stats

Manchester United
VS
Aston Villa
W-D-W-D-W-L Form Guide (all competitions) L-W-L-W-L-L
9-4-6 EPL Record 7-1-11
7th EPL Position 13th
Quarterfinal FA Cup 2020-21 Third Round
12 FA Cup Wins 7
2016 Most Recent FA Cup Win 1957

Honeymoon Period Over for Gerrard

Gerrard’s impact on Villa was almost immediate when her arrived to replace Dean Smith in November but, like Rangnick, his honeymoon period is over. Back-to-back Premier League defeats by Chelsea and Brentford have taken the sting out of their resurgence. The FA Cup, however, is a realistic target.

Like United, Villa is a club that has a proud FA Cup history, winning it seven times, but you have to go back to 1957 for their last success when, ironically, they beat Man Utd.

Coutinho Arrives at Villa Park

These are exciting times for Villa fans with the club’s owners seemingly intent on spending multi-millions in the pursuit of silverware, with the loan signing of Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho in the week being a perfect example. As things stand, it’s unclear if he will be involved against United.

Well worth noting is that Villa has already beaten the Red Devils at Old Trafford this season. Back in September, a late Kortney Hause header gave the visitors a vital 1-0 win, although United has won 14 of the last 19 contests between these two.

Manchester United vs Aston Villa Prediction

This will be tighter than United’s odds suggest, but such is the pressure on Rangnick to get a tune out of this Reds’ team, I can see a disjointed performance still being just enough for them to scrape home. Two defeats on the bounce for Villa will have dented their confidence.

Picks: United to win  (-150)

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