There is something so enchanting about Manchester United and stoppage times. Some of the most endearing memories of the Fergie era have been carved out in stoppage times. One such unforgettable moment occurred last season when Aston Villa came visiting and almost squeaked out a draw. But we all know what happened there with Kiko Macheda, a 17-year old debutant, scoring an unbelievable goal (if you have forgotten all about it, here is the goal for you). The Villans are a-visiting again and sadly there is hardly any chance of Macheda playing. In the absence of the young man, let us hope we make it a little more straightforward this time around.
Much has been said and written about Villa’s appalling record at Old Trafford. Incredibly the last time they got the better of us at the Theater of Dreams was 26 years ago. However as any reasonable man will tell you, statistics count for nothing on a given day and especially after Burnley this season we have every reason to be cautious. Thankfully in Sir Alex we have a man equipped to guard everyone from complacency, something that might be lurking in the corners after the resounding win in Germany. Our defence continues to be a withered down version of its normal self with Fletcher, Vidic, Carrick and Evra carrying out the defensive duties. Ryan Giggs (who needs your vote btw) will come back into the starting fold after being afforded a rest in midweek. Antonio Valencia will resume his role on the right flank with poor Nani being relegated to the bench yet again. The midfield duo of Gibson and Anderson will continue their stints in the center of midfield. Rooney and Berba have both overcome their respective injuries and should start in attack despite Owen’s heroics against Wolfsburg. Considering Owen’s injury prone nature, a supersub role would be ideal for him.
As for the Villans, the pace in their attack has been well documented. Agbonlahor, Ashley Young, James Milner and Stewart Downing form an incredible quartet with the abundance of pace and talent clearly discernible. Add to that the brawn of Carew and Heskey and you get a fearsome mix. Our makeshift defence clearly needs to out-do itself yet again to come out unscathed out of this. Villa already seem to have a measure of the big four this season with impressive wins against Liverpool and Chelsea already in their kitty. No wonder then that Martin O’Neill is reasonably confident about this one.
“We keep being told we have not won at Old Trafford for 26 years but the whole point is we can’t be affected by something that has happened when we have not been involved the majority of the time. In fact, in the last couple of years we have played well enough at Old Trafford to have got something out of the game. I don’t think we have a mental block about going there despite our record at Old Trafford. We definitely have the ingredients and players to do well in the game and we will be going into it with plenty of confidence.”
With Chelsea only two points off, we need to win this game in order to keep up the pressure on Ancelotti’s men. Liverpool are entertaining the Gunners tomorrow and a draw there will surely make this run to the title a two-horse race. We have a wonderful opportunity to put some daylight between the chasing pack and close the gap with the leaders. Let us hope we grab this opportunity with both hands.
Kickoff: 1730 GMT
Prediction: 2-1 to United
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that definitely went very wrong…