Aston Villa: Dan Bardell makes ‘massive’ prediction v Manchester United
Aston Villa take on Manchester United on Sunday (11 February) and Dan Bardell believes it’s a “massive” game for the club as they go in pursuit of a Champions League place this season.
Villa will be looking to bounce back from their defeat against Chelsea in the FA Cup on Wednesday (7 February), where they were beaten 3-1.
After going almost a year unbeaten at home, Unai Emery’s side have since lost their past two games at Villa Park against the Blues and Newcastle United.
Bardell has predicted the Villans will pick up a victory when the Red Devils make the trip to Birmingham to create an 11-point gap between themselves and Erik ten Hag’s side.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bardell said: “This time last year they lost a couple of home games and Emery really managed to drill into the players what he wanted and managed to get his message across.
“I think Villa are capable of going on a run, they’ve shown that numerous times under Emery that they are capable of going on runs. What they’ve always done well is, if they have lost a game in any competition, they’ve always gone on and won the next game. I think they’ll do the same on Sunday.
“They did it last week, they lost to Newcastle and then managed to reset and go to Sheffield United and blow them away. I think there will be a reaction on Sunday.
“This is an important game because Manchester United are on a decent run at the moment. We’ve got quite a gap against them, but if they beat us, that gap has diminished a fair way in the space of three or four weeks.
“This game on Sunday is massive, but Villa have never really done well at home against Manchester United in my life. They won in 1995 and then it was last season the next time they won and that was Emery that provided that win, so he knows how to beat Ten Hag and Manchester United.”
Opportunity for Aston Villa against Manchester United
Emery will certainly be looking for a reaction from his players against Man United as he’ll be desperate to ensure they get back to winning ways.
While Villa are still well-placed within the Champions League spots, the Spaniard will know their home form is going to be crucial in deciding where they finish this season.
The Red Devils come into the clash in decent form, but the Villans have plenty of quality in their squad and should be confident that they can pick up another statement win at Villa Park.
In other Aston Villa news, Unai Emery may have contacted his former club after a Villa player exit has been confirmed.
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