Five things to look out for during Aston Villa’s pre-season friendly against Manchester United

Aston Villa face Manchester United on Saturday morning in what will be their final game of their Australian tour and penultimate one of their entire pre-season schedule.

United will undoubtedly prove to be the toughest task yet for Villa with the Red Devils looking like they’ve found a new lease of life under latest manager, Erik ten Hag.

Both teams go into the contest with 100% records from their summer friendlies so far meaning something has to give.

Not only that but with this one coming so close to the new campaign, we can expect to see both squads lining up pretty much full strength.

United will have to make do without new signings Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen who have both remained in England but Steven Gerrard will have a fully fit and able squad ready to choose from.

Whilst not confirmed, it’s expected that Villa in particular will start from the off with an eleven very similar to the one that will take to the field in the Premier League opener against Bournemouth on August 6.

With that in mind, BirminghamWorld have picked out five things to keep an eye on from Saturday morning’s game.

Captaincy

One thing that still hasn’t been solved, at least publicly, is the captaincy situation going into next season.

Gerrard refused to be drawn on whether or not Tyrone Mings would remain club captain going into 2022/23 and didn’t rule out one of his new signings being handed the armband moving forward.

Emi Martinez was given the honour during the latest pre-season friendly with Brisbane Roar though that was with Mings still on the bench at the time.

If Mings starts on Saturday - which he’s expected to - it could be worth keeping an eye on.

Centre-back pairing

Which leads us on nicely to the centre-back pairing.

Gerrard has tried a number of different defensive combinations from the off during the pre-season schedule so far but Saturday could likely bring the one he has in mind to start the season.

Diego Carlos and Mings are yet to start from the off together despite this being the duo that most are expecting to get the nod.

We could very well see it for the first time this weekend but whoever it is may well be telling.

Starting striker

Just like the defensive situation, the first-choice striker is a position that seems very much up for grabs.

There will without a doubt be rotation throughout the season regardless but that won’t stop the trio of Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins and Cameron Archer still fighting it out to be the standout number one.

This will also depend on whether or not Gerrard decides to play one or two up top. He’s tried both so far this pre-season and in the last campaign but it’s fair to say his preferred system involves one natural forward.

Archer, so far, appears to have been the most clinical but away from the Walsall game, hasn’t been given a start.

If he’s given the nod to start on Saturday, it will prove that he’s barging his way right up Villa’s pecking order.

Midfield three

Whether Villa play one or two up front, Gerrard rarely strays away from a natural midfield three.

Last year that was pretty much set in stone as Jacob Ramsey, John McGinn and Douglas Luiz, however, the addition of Boubacar Kamara has, for the better, blown that out of the water.

Even with the exploits of Ramsey last year, it’s probably safe to assume that Kamara will be the only nailed down starter in the anchor role in the middle of the park, leaving the other two spaces up for grabs.

Ramsey is arguably next in line for a definitive position but that leaves McGinn and Luiz fighting it out for the other spot.

The Brazilian has always looked more comfortable playing further forward and the addition of Kamara has freed him up to do just that.

This leaves Gerrard with a tough decision to make centrally and these next two games will provide the chance for each of those players to prove why it should be their spot.

Formation

It was briefly touched on within the striker section but formation could well be important to note against the Red Devils.

Gerrard will rotate and use different systems dependant on opponent throughout 2022/23 but where is possible, he’ll more than likely stick to his preferred methods.

His “first-choice” system if you will, will probably be on display from minute one on Saturday and the most important thing to keep an eye on will be whether or not he chooses to go with one or two strikers.