Aston Villa aim for a 10th consecutive win against Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday. The third-placed Villans are three points behind leaders Arsenal and seek to maintain their title challenge. United, two points from the top four, look to extend their unbeaten run to five games despite defensive issues.
Aston Villa will host Manchester United at Villa Park on Sunday, December 20, 2025, with kick-off at 4:30pm UK time. The match is broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, and can be streamed via the Sky Go app. Villa, under manager Unai Emery, sit third in the Premier League table, three points behind Arsenal, who play Everton on Saturday. The Villans have not lost since a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield and have won their last six Premier League games and nine in all competitions. Victory would mark their first 10 straight wins across all competitions since 1914 and seven consecutive league triumphs, last achieved in 1990.
Emery respects the challenge from United, describing them as "very difficult" due to their history, recent away form, and offensive quality. "They are performing very, very well away... And we are ready, but we are respecting them and we are being humble," Emery said. United, managed by Ruben Amorim, drew 4-4 at home with Bournemouth in their last outing, leading three times before conceding an 84th-minute equalizer. They have won their last two away games against Crystal Palace and Wolves but have not kept a clean sheet since a 2-0 win over Sunderland on October 4. Amorim noted defensive lapses: "We watched the game again against Bournemouth, we can avoid those goals... We need to work on some details to suffer less goals."
United are two points outside the top four, having dropped 10 points from winning positions this season. Amorim praised Villa's maturity: "[Unai Emery] doesn’t panic when he’s losing... I think they are a very strong team." Team news sees Villa's Emiliano Martinez possibly returning from a back injury, but Pau Torres (calf), Tyrone Mings (thigh), and Ross Barkley (knee) are out. Jadon Sancho is ineligible, and Harvey Elliott is ill. For United, Matthijs de Ligt (back), Harry Maguire (hamstring), Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui, and Amad Diallo (AFCON duty) are absent, with Casemiro suspended.
Predicted lineups include for Villa: Martinez; Cash, Lindelof, Konsa, Maatsen; Onana, Kamara; McGinn, Tielemans, Rogers; Watkins. For United: Lammens; Yoro, Martinez, Shaw; Dalot, Mainoo, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mount, Cunha; Sesko. Stats show Villa have won just one of their last 26 home Premier League games against United, while United have 18 away wins at Villa Park, their second-most against any opponent. Both sources predict a high-scoring affair, with Villa favored to win 3-2.
