BBC’s Chris Sutton has made a bold claim about Aston Villa ahead of their Premier League home tie v Man United.
Unai Emery’s side return to Villa Park once again this Sunday as they prepare to host Manchester United. Despite a termenous run at their home ground at the start of the season, Aston Villa go into the game on back-to-back home defeats.
Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat to Chelsea saw the side crash out of the FA Cup in the fourth round. It was a surprising defeat with many of the stars of the season so far underperforming.
However, with that defeat comes a better opportunity to focus on the Premier League. Going into the fixture, Villa find themselves fourth after a 5-0 victory away to Sheffield United last weekend.
This Sunday, they will be looking to consolidate their position in the Champions League even more as they take on sixth place Man United.
In what will be a difficult game, many have tried to prediction what the outcome will be. BBC’s Chris Sutton is just one pundit who done this with the former England international making a bold claim about his former club.
Aston Villa are still in the title race
Despite their recent dip in form, Sutton still believes that Villa are in the title race. The West Midlands side currently sit five points off first place Liverpool but have only picked up seven points in their last five games.
However, Sutton insists that you can’t rule Aston Villa out yet as he backs them to respond against the Red Devils on the weekend.
He told the BBC: “This is a very different test, however, even if Aston Villa have lost their past two home games, firstly against Newcastle and then to Chelsea in the FA Cup.
“Villa are not out of the title race yet and I am backing them to respond. While I think Manchester United will score, Lisandro Martinez’s injury is a big loss for them at the back.”
He then goes on to predict that Aston Villa will in fact win the fixture 2-1 and bounce back from their 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford in December.
Three points in vital in Aston Villa v Man United
If Emery wants to prove that his side are still in the title race then a victory against Man United is vital.
The Red Devils have been more resilient in recents weeks after impressive wins against Wolves and West Ham. If Villa could end this run in style, it would prove to many that they are not out of the race yet.
With Man City on a good run and Arsenal battering Liverpool last weekend, the hosts need to consistently be at their best to stay in the race.
Late last year, Villa certainly stood in good stead after a sensational run of form with many pundits believing they were in the race. However, if they want to convince the vast majority, three points on Sunday is vital.
