United staged a remarkable comeback to take all three points at home to Villa on Boxing Day and will hope to catch the hosts on another off day as they seek a third Premier League win in a row.
Aston Villa vs Man Utd Betting Tips
- Second Half Result - Aston Villa @ 7/5 with bet365
- Boubacar Kamara over 2.5 tackles @ 11/10 with bet365
- Diogo Dalot over 0.5 shots @ 5/6 with bet365
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
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Villa can give United a taste of their own medicine
Unai Emery's men have lost back-to-back home games coming into this fixture and will be desperate to ensure that they don't fall to a third defeat in 12 days at Villa Park.
The nature of both losses will be worrying to the Spanish coach as his team were comprehensively outplayed in the first halves of each encounter before producing a much better showing after the break.
In last week's 3-1 home defeat to a Newcastle side that had lost their four previous league games, Villa were outworked and out-thought in a first half which the visitors dominated.
And the same happened on Wednesday when a Chelsea team that was thought to be close to implosion after their 4-2 home loss to Wolves a few days earlier strolled into a 3-0 lead by the 54th minute.
Backing Villa to win in 90 minutes would appear risky given the circumstances of those two games, but the hosts had the last word each time by scoring late consolation goals and clearly never give up until the final whistle.
Emery's men have scored the final goal in 11 of their last 15 matches and should have the fitness levels to come out on top after the break against a Manchester United team that has been outscored 8-3 in the second halves of their last five Premier League away games.
Aston Villa vs Man Utd Tip 1: Aston Villa to win the second half @ 7/5 with bet365
Kamara snaps into tackles like no other
One reason why Villa should be harder to beat than on Boxing Day will be the presence of Boubacar Kamara, who was serving a suspension when to two met at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman was replaced by Leander Dendoncker for the clash and, although he scored from a set piece, the Belgian never appeared to be Emery's cup of tea and made only one further appearance for the club before being loaned to Napoli.
Kamara's partnership with Douglas Luiz in the heart of Villa's engine room has been a key feature of their success this season and their battle with veteran Casemiro and youthful Kobbie Mainoo will be a good watch.
With 10 tackles in his last four league appearances for the Villans, Kamara has the sort of record that makes backing him to register at least three in this contest look a solid play at any odds against price.
Aston Villa vs Man Utd Tip 2: Boubacar Kamara over 2.5 tackles @ 11/10 with bet365
Go long on Dalot while United favour short corners
Diogo Dalot probably caught the eye more for his superb covering block to deny Jarrod Bowen than his increased shot count in United's home win over West Ham last weekend, but his improved attacking output is certainly worth following.
The Portuguese full-back was credited with a trio of strikes against the Hammers - only the sixth time he has managed three or more shots in 138 total games for the club.
However, that was the fifth Premier League game in a row he has registered at least one effort and it is a trend that could continue at Villa Park if the Red Devils continue with their short corner routines.
United took several of their corners short and worked the ball to the edge of the box, where Dalot is often found lurking, against the Hammers, and he should be taken to fire an effort at goal once more.
Aston Villa vs Man Utd Tip 3: Diogo Dalot Over 0.5 shots @ 5/6 with bet365