Aston Villa head to Manchester United this Boxing Day with a point to prove following Friday night's shock 1-1 draw with relegation fighters Sheffield United. Unai Emery's side were frustrated by the Blades' low block and a host of key refereeing decisions going against them but another chance awaits on Tuesday for a more positive result.
The Villans take on Man Utd at a good moment as they are without a win in four matches across all competitions. Erik ten Hag's men lost 3-0 to AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League, were defeated 1-0 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and drew in their Premier League clashes with Liverpool and West Ham United.
Emery has a slight selection headache as Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash are both suspended, while Pau Torres remains an injury doubt. Youri Tielemans is expected to be sidelined for a couple of weeks more, while Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings are out until the end of the campaign.
With all of that in mind, here's the starting XI we think Villa will put out at Old Trafford.
9. LM - Jacob Ramsey
Ramsey looked sharp on Friday and he’ll be keen to build momentum. Zaniolo remains an impact substitute for now. | Getty Images
10. ST - Moussa Diaby
Claims that Diaby isn’t currently at his best are correct but he’s likely to start again with Tielemans injured. Emery has spoken very highly of Diaby throughout his tough streak and is confident he will bounce back. | Getty Images
11. ST - Ollie Watkins
Watkins failed to score last time out but put in a good shift. He saw an assist chalked off and he probably should’ve had a penalty. | Getty Images