Manchester United host Aston Villa in the final fixture before the international break, with Michael Carrick’s job widely considered to be on the line at Old Trafford.
United sit 17th with seven points from nine matches, above Crystal Palace only on goal difference and just two points clear of bottom-placed Sunderland, though their midweek Champions League comeback against Roma offered the first win of any kind since early September. Carrick’s side trailed 2-0 before Bruno Fernandes converted a retaken penalty and Matheus Cunha struck twice in three minutes to complete a 3-2 turnaround, ending a nine-match winless run across all competitions that had included six defeats.
Aston Villa, by contrast, arrive in a position of relative calm under Unai Emery, who is reportedly closing in on a new contract despite being linked with the vacancy at Old Trafford, though his side have not won in three matches following a seven-game unbeaten run that featured a 2-1 victory over Manchester City.
Villa sit 10th with 12 points, three behind fifth-placed Liverpool, and they suffered their first Champions League defeat of the season in a 3-0 loss at Barcelona on Tuesday, following a 1-1 draw with Fulham in the league. United’s three relegation-zone rivals, Palace, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland, face Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea respectively this weekend, offering Carrick’s side a rare opportunity to pick up ground. The sides last met in March, when United won 3-1 at Old Trafford, and Bruno Fernandes has an outstanding record against Villa specifically, with eight wins, two draws and two defeats from 12 Premier League meetings and a personal tally of six goals and four assists.
Manchester United vs Aston Villa – Match preview and team news
- Date: Sunday, 8 November 2026
- Kick-off: 16:30 GMT
- Venue: Old Trafford
- Referee: Chris Kavanagh
- Last meeting: Manchester United 3-1 Aston Villa, 15 March 2026, Premier League
Team news
Manchester United
Lisandro Martinez is suspended following his red card against Chelsea, while Carlos Baleba, Manuel Ugarte and Benjamin Sesko remain unavailable through injury. Luke Shaw is also out and Patrick Dorgu is a doubt despite returning to partial training, leaving Diogo Dalot in line to fill in at left-back.
Aston Villa
Matty Cash is suspended after collecting five yellow cards and Matteo Ruggeri is out with a hamstring injury, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka faces a late fitness test having been described as “close” to a return by Emery. Amadou Onana continues to make good progress in his recovery from an ACL injury but remains months from a return.
Form
Manchester United
United ended a nine-match winless run across all competitions with Tuesday’s comeback win over Roma, but they remain one of only three Premier League sides currently in the relegation zone.
Aston Villa
Villa have gone three matches without a win following a seven-game unbeaten run that included victories over Manchester City and Newcastle United, and they suffered their first Champions League defeat of the season at Barcelona in midweek.
Predicted lineups
Manchester United possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Yoro, Maguire, Heaven, Dalot; Tielemans, Mainoo; Diallo, Fernandes, Mbeumo; Cunha
Aston Villa possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Bogarde, Torres, Lindelof, Maatsen; Goretzka, Kamara; Alysson, McGinn, Manzambi; Jackson
How to watch Manchester United vs Aston Villa?
The match will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports.
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