Manchester United vs Aston Villa: Can United build on Champions League momentum?

Manchester United host Aston Villa on Sunday as Michael Carrick’s side look to carry their Champions League momentum into the Premier League.

United have endured a difficult start to the league campaign, winning just once in nine matches to leave them 17th in the table.

Tuesday’s clash with Roma looked set to bring more disappointment, with United falling 2-0 behind inside the opening 20 minutes. However, they produced a second-half comeback to secure a 3-2 victory, thanks to a Matheus Cunha brace and a Bruno Fernandes penalty.

United will be keen to build on that result, although Carrick knows his side must show greater consistency. Asked about the victory, he said: “It’s up to us to take it forward; it was a fantastic night as a one-off night. It was a good night for us all, but nothing has been achieved yet and it’s one moment we need to use moving forward.”

United’s most recent Premier League outing ended in a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, with Lisandro Martínez sent off following an incident involving Wesley Fofana. The defender will therefore miss Sunday’s game through suspension.

Despite the defeat, Carrick believes there have been encouraging signs in recent performances. He said: “When you watch the (Roma) game back, the first half wasn’t so bad. 

There were moments when we left ourselves short, and we need to fix them. The first half against Chelsea was very good, we’re showing signs of improvements, no doubt, and we need to take that forward.”

Aston Villa arrive at Old Trafford after a 3-0 Champions League defeat to Barcelona at the Camp Nou, where goals from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal condemned Unai Emery’s side to defeat.

Villa have improved after a difficult start to the season and currently sit 10th in the Premier League. However, two defeats and a draw in their last three matches have increased the pressure on Emery ahead of Sunday’s trip.

The Villa boss acknowledged the challenge of facing United away from home, saying: “Four years I am here, travelling to Manchester to play against them, we have lost. Even in the first match we played, Carabao Cup, we lost 3-2, four years ago. So, it means, for us, it’s very difficult.”

Speculation over Emery’s future has also continued, but the Spaniard insisted his focus remains on the club’s progress. He said: “My ambition is to keep the consistency and how we are improving, how we are building a lot of things positively. 

We are strong, being strong, keeping consistency in our process, so it's a huge challenge but the club is involved in it.”

Emery added that he had held a “very good” and “very positive” meeting with chairman Nassef Sawiris and hoped to discuss a new contract next week.

The sides last met at Old Trafford in March, when United claimed a 3-1 victory. Goals from Casemiro, Cunha and Benjamin Sesko secured the points.

Team news:

United have several injury concerns heading into the weekend, with Carlos Baleba the latest name added to the list after appearing to suffer a hamstring injury against Roma.

Carrick confirmed that Baleba would be out for “a number of weeks” and would not return until after the international break.

There is more encouraging news regarding Patrick Dorgu, who is “slowly getting back” after missing seven matches through injury. However, Carrick was unsure whether he would be available to face Villa.

Benjamin Sesko, Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Manuel Ugarte are also expected to miss the match, with the quartet facing medium to long-term spells on the sidelines.

For Villa, Emery confirmed that Aaron Wan-Bissaka is “close” to returning, but his availability will depend on a fitness assessment in training on Saturday.

Matteo Ruggeri is continuing to work individually but is making progress. Emery added that, aside from Amadou Onana and the suspended Matty Cash, the rest of his squad are available.

Predicted starting line-ups:

Manchester United: Lammens; Yoro, Maguire, Heaven, Dalot; Mainoo, Tielemans, Fernandes; Cunha, Amad, Mbeumo.

Aston Villa: Suzuki; Bogarde, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Goretzka, Manzambi; Alysson, McGinn, Jackson.