Manchester United have had a flying start under the aegis of new manager Erik ten Hag as they have scored 11 goals in just three matches. They will be looking to continue their rich vein of form against Aston Villa as well in their final friendly on Australian soil.
Meanwhile, the claret and blue army also head into this fixture at the back of a narrow 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar in what was their third pre-season friendly.
The match between the two Premier League outfits will be hosted at the magnificent Optus Stadium in Burswood, Australia, and GOAL brings you all of the relevant information when it comes to keeping across the action from Down Under.
Man Utd vs Aston Villa date & kick-off time
Game: | Manchester United vs Aston Villa |
Date: | July 23, 2022 |
Kick-off: | 10:45am BST / 5:45am ET |
How to watch Man Utd vs Aston Villa on TV & live stream online
The pre-season contest will not be broadcast on television in the United Kingdom, but it is available to watch and stream online through MUTV and VillaTV+.
TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
N/A | MUTV / VillaTV+ |
Man Utd squad & team news
It won't be surprising if Ten Hag fields his strongest XI against Villa as the manager is more inclined to give his first-choice players the maximum minutes together as was evident against Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
"We have a squad and as you know, we don't have a lot of time. We need to be ready for the 7th of August. We have experienced players, but we also wanted to give some young talents the chance. I cannot give all the young players the chances they deserve because we have to construct a team," he stated ahead of the clash.
The Dutch manager might stick to the front three of Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, and Marcus Rashford as they have performed well in the previous friendly matches in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo who has not yet joined the squad and wants a move out of Old Trafford.
"It can be. They connect really good together. I think when you see that, you are lucky as a manager. They are a threat, the team has weapons and we need to develop that further," he opined.
It remains to be seen whether Tyrell Malacia is preferred once again at left-back ahead of Luke Shaw and who gets the nod between Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay as the two players are fighting for the same role.
James Garner and Raphael Varane both missed Tuesday’s game against Crystal Palace – however, the duo has rejoined training and could get some minutes against Villa.
Position | Players |
|---|---|
Goalkeepers | David De Gea, Tom Heaton, Nathan Bishop, Matej Kovar |
Defenders | Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot, Ethan Laird, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw, Alex Telles, Will Fish, Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka |
Midfielders | Amad, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, James Garner, Hannibal, Zidane Iqbal, Scott McTominay, Facundo Pellistri, Charlie Savage, Donny van de Beek |
Forwards | Tahith Chong, Anthony Elanga, Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho |
Aston Villa squad & team news
Like United, Villa are unbeaten in their pre-season tour and could pose a tough challenge for Ten Hag's men on Saturday. Manager Steven Gerrard does not want any slip up in their final game of the Australia tour and is looking for a strong finish.
"We’re looking forward to the game and it’s the last push of the tour. The tour has been fantastic so far and we want to finish on a high.
“We’re a couple of weeks out now from a really important start to the season, so we need to turn the dial now. We’ll introduce slightly more game time to individuals now because it’s the right time and they’re ready now because they’ve got the right volume in their legs to really push certain individuals," he stated.
Gerrard is impressed with Coutinho's response and hopes that his former Liverpool teammate along with the academy players can level up their game so that they can pose a threat to the top-six.
"Having Phil Coutinho signed up full-time now, he feels part of it more than he did as a loan player. The academy players have kicked on. Cameron Archer’s loan has moved him up a level. We’ve got Tim and AJ (Aaron Ramsey) coming off the back of an under-19 win and you can see the confidence in them so the squad and the personnel within it is bubbling away really nice.
"We’ve got to believe. It’s not impossible. It’s happened before, you’ve seen it, you’ve seen the Leicester story which was epic. But, outside of that, you see teams like West Ham, you see Wolves, we’ve seen other teams really disrupt the top-six, huge clubs, and we need to take each game at a time," he added.
The former England international will field the best XI possible which means that the fans in Perth can expect the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Ollie Watkins, Danny Ings, and Aaron Ramsey to be in action.
Position | Players |
|---|---|
Goalkeepers | Emiliano Martínez, Robin Olsen, Oliwier Zych, Filip Marschall. |
Defenders | Ashley Young, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa, Calum Chambers, Diego Carlos, Matty Cash, Frederic Guilbert, Ludwig Augustinsson, Josh Feeney, Kaine Kesler Hayden, Ben Chrisene. |
Midfielders | Philippe Coutinho, Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey, Emiliano Buendía, Leon Bailey, Marvelous Nakamba, Morgan Sanson, Bertrand Traoré, Jaden Philogene-Bidace, Tim Iroegbunam, Aaron Ramsey. |
Forwards | Ollie Watkins, Danny Ings, Keinan Davis, Cameron Archer. |