The Road to Wembley Starts Here for Clubs with FA Cup Pedigree

Manchester United vs Aston Villa

For many football fans, it is the most exciting weekend of the season.

The third round of the FA Cup means many things for many teams.

A chance to cause a shock and make a name for yourself, a potential giant-killing as underdogs dream of glory, play a lucrative tie against opponents you can only dream of facing, an opportunity to make the nation sit up and take notice and, in some cases, the chance to save your season.

By the time events begin at Old Trafford on Monday night, all the third-round matches bar one should have been played and stories will have been created up and down the country.

Potentially, though, the best has definitely been saved for last as the tie of the round takes centre stage between two of English football’s biggest names.

Talking Points

Between them, Manchester United and Aston Villa have won this competition 19 times (United 12, Villa seven) and how they would crave to add to that tally.

In what is the first of two meetings between the sides in under a week (they also meet in the Premier League on January 15), both sides should be at near full strength.

Interim home boss Ralph Rangnick has suggested he will not make wholesale changes to the line-up, as some clubs do at this stage of the competition – although that is normally against lower league opposition.

Victor Lindelof and captain Harry Maguire missed the defeat to Wolves earlier this week with Covid-19 and injury respectively, which led to Phil Jones coming in for his first senior outing in almost two years.

Ahead of the cup tie, Maguire remains a doubt but Lindelof is expected to return.

Villa’s main news centres on the deal for Philippe Coutinho, who has agreed a loan move from Barcelona.

Whether the relevant paperwork will be completed in time to be involved in this match remains to be seen, but they should welcome back striker Ollie Watkins – star of the show the last time I reported on Villa 15 months ago – along with Kortney Hause and England centre-back Tyrone Mings (from suspension).

Veteran utility man Ashley Young has only an outside chance of being fit to face his former employers, while exciting wide man Leon Bailly is progressing well and may make the bench.

With the contest being decided on the night – there are no third-round replays this season – both sides may well go for it as they look to bounce back from defeats in their first league outings of 2022, United at home to Wolves, Villa at Brentford.

I suspect this could lead to attacking FA Cup 2022 highlights galore at the Theatre of Dreams.

History

Villa have already won at Old Trafford this season – in late September, when a late Kortney Hause goal was preceded by an even later and uncharacteristic penalty miss from Bruno Fernandes.

That was only Villa’s second win in 34 league visits to Old Trafford since November 1983 and ended a run of six clashes which had seen United win five and draw the other.

Their last meeting in the FA Cup came at this stage in 2008 when late goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney sealed a 2-0 success for the Red Devils at Villa Park.

The last time Villa beat United twice in the same season was in the inaugural Premier League campaign in 1992 when Villa sealed 1-0 victories in league and League Cup.

Overall, United have 101 victories against Villa who have tasted success on 50 occasions themselves with a further 40 draws.

Betting Tip

	Manchester United vs Aston Villa	Half Time Full Time Home Home @ 2.25
	January 11, 03:55 (GMT+8)

United are firm favourites with the SBOTOP FA Cup 2022 betting odds and can be backed Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 1.91, -1.00 @ 2.26 and 1X2 @ 1.69.

Villa are on offer 1X2 @ 4.30 and Asian Handicap +0.75 @ 2.01.

The draw @ 3.40 would earn a nice payday, although obviously if the sides were level after 120 minutes, the tie would ultimately be decided by a penalty shoot-out.

Over 2.75 goals @ 2.08 and total goal 2-3 @ 1.87 are worth a look, and even more so is total goal 4-6 @ 3.25.

A repeat of the 1-0 Villa win from just over three months ago is available @ 13.50, whereas a 2-1 home success – the same scoreline as last season’s league encounter at Old Trafford – will pay out @ 6.80.

I am going to plump for United to prevail while leading both at half-time and full-time.

 

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