Man United eye return to winning ways after free training week | OneFootball

The only ‘Big Six’ team in the English Championship that had a break during the week due to being out of the European cups, Manchester United will host Aston Villa next Sunday, for the 30th round, aiming to get back to winning ways.

The ‘Red Devils’, currently third in the table, are enjoying a great moment in the season, but are coming off a defeat to Newcastle (2-1) nine days ago and haven’t played since, while Villa (fourth with the same 51 points) were on the pitch for the Europa League round of 16 last Thursday, when they beat Lille 1-0. The loss to the ‘Magpies’ was United’s first since the arrival of coach Michael Carrick in January.

Carrick, a former midfielder for the Old Trafford club, had a record of six wins and one draw in the seven matches he managed before the visit to Newcastle. Meanwhile, Aston Villa have lost momentum since February, with only one win and just five goals scored in the last seven rounds of the championship. One of the reasons is the absence of key players such as captain John McGinn, who is expected to return against United, Frenchman Boubacar Kamara, and Belgian Youri Tielemans.

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Villa on a Downturn

Villa, who at the end of 2025 were in the fight for the lead, currently sit in fourth place, the last spot that qualifies for the next Champions League, not counting the possible extra spot based on club performances from each country in European competitions.

In this regard, the English teams took a step back after this week’s defeats in the Champions League for Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Tottenham, and the draws for Newcastle and Arsenal, the league’s sole leader.

The ‘Gunners’ host Everton aiming to at least maintain their seven-point lead over City (2nd), who need to beat West Ham in London to recover from their 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League.

A win for the ‘Hammers’ could further complicate the situation for Tottenham (16th), who visit Liverpool after a 5-2 defeat to Atlético de Madrid in the Champions League. The ‘Spurs’ are fighting to avoid their first relegation since the 1977/1978 season.

With content from AFP*

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.