Both sides come into this fixture having won their previous Premier League outing as Aston Villa sailed to victory against Sheffield United, putting five past the Blades and maintaining an all-important clean sheet.

Man Utd, meanwhile, took the blade to David Moyes’ West Ham in a 3-0 victory which has helped keep their European hopes alive.

In the reverse fixture played at Old Trafford, Manchester United came away victorious in a 3-2 win over Aston Villa, a game which required Rasmus Hojlund to secure the winner in the 82nd minute to complete a wonderful comeback for the Red Devils.

Here at Vodacom Soccer, we are incredibly excited for this match-up and look at five key battles which will commence on Sunday afternoon.

Unai Emery vs Erik ten Hag

The first key battle is that of a tactical one between two great managers in Unai Emery and Erik ten Hag, with both managers instilling a different style of play to try and get the better of their opponent.

One area which will be key is the high-line and possession-based football Aston Villa play to try as they dominate the ball whilst moving through the centre of the pitch when attacking.

However, this style of play does leave them vulnerable to counter-attacks which United should be able to take advantage of effectively with the pace of their attacking players.

Despite this, United have been known to be caught offside frequently and this could be a huge lifeline for the Villains, who can deploy an effective offside trap to numb the sting of the attacks.

A huge strength of Manchester United is the individual skill each player holds in their attacking line-up with Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony all able to take a man on and beat him which is going to be crucial on Sunday.

However, Aston Villa will look to control this by being aggressive with their opponents on the pitch, not shying away from challenges and hoping to nullify their individual skills.

Ten Hag gave some kind words towards his managerial opponent in a press conference, saying: “I think it is very good how he developed his team and how they want to play, in and out of position.”

The Dutchman also claimed that since January, “every game is now a final” and that mentality will be no different this weekend as United will be looking into a third straight win in the competition if they can overcome Villa.

Emery wants his side to bounce back from their FA Cup defeat to Chelsea and has put emphasis on this match, calling it a “very important game” which could be a difference maker in whether they achieve Champions League football for next season.

The battle in midfield

In a close game between two top sides, most of the play and the flow of the game will be controlled through the middle of the park and most notably the two central midfielders.

In both recent Premier League line-ups, the two sides played in a similar formation so we can only assume that the same will happen this weekend.

Aston Villa’s midfield duo contains Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara, two strong and physical midfielders who have excellent ability on the ball and can quite easily dominate the middle of the pitch with their presence and technical ability.

These two midfielders tend to work in a pivot system where one will push further and the other will sit back to be more defensive and this can change throughout the game.

We saw this against Sheffield United when Luiz pushed higher up the field and released excellent through balls behind the Sheffield United defence, putting Ollie Watkins through on goal on multiple occasions.

United will try to counter their midfield presence with a mixture of youth and experience with academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo playing alongside veteran Casemiro.

The energy and workload that Mainoo can take on is beyond impressive and his constant ability to hassle the opposition when they have the ball will be incredibly advantageous when defending against the possession-based Villa side.

Casemiro brings a plethora of experience to the side and is possibly one of the best in the world at reading the game with his tactical understanding and then knowing how to combat the play ahead of him.

Similar to the Villa set-up, it is likely that Casemiro will sit further back than Mainoo when in possession as a defensive buffer between them and the United attack.

Ollie Watkins vs Manchester United defence

Ollie Watkins is currently one of the league’s most in-form strikers and is doing all he can to be involved in the England Euros side this summer with 11 goals and 10 assists so far this season in 23 games.

Watkins in his current form, paired with the rejuvenated John McGinn and Leon Bailey, makes for a formidable attacking threat which United’s defence will need to be wary of.

Villa have so far this season scored a whopping 49 goals which is tied third best in the entire league behind Manchester City and leaders Liverpool.

Manchester United have a strong defence, however, and will be technically capable of handling the attack of Aston Villa as they have only conceded 32 goals this season.

Plus, with Raphael Varane likely making his return to the side, he will be able to command the backline and maintain organisation throughout the match.

Villa’s attacking tactics will be exciting to watch as they tend to go through the middle of the pitch and utilise the space behind defenders when they move forward, another thing the Manchester United defence will need to know about as a deeper defensive line may be deployed to combat this style of attack.

Rasmus Hojlund vs Aston Villa defence

Aston Villa aren’t the only side to have an in-form striker in their side as United striker Rasmus Hojlund has scored in each of the last four games he has started, which has helped them pick up some crucial points in their charge for the European spots.

This has come in real handy for the Red Devils who have struggled to find the back of the net this season, scoring only 31 goals in 23 matches in the Premier League and Hojlund being their top scorer with 10 goals in all competitions so far, four of which have come in the last five Man Utd games.

Aston Villa boast a strong defensive ability with the side only conceding 30 goals this season in the Premier League, with Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa making a huge difference at the back.

We know United can heavily rely on the individual skills of players to help boost their attack but with Hojlund not being known for his tricks on the ball, this could show a shift in the attacking mentality of United as they play more as a team which end with Hojlund being the focal point and the predominant finisher around the box.

Wingers vs full-backs

Despite Villa mostly attacking through the centre of the park, their wingers have a part to play, especially when stretching the backline to make space for the likes of Watkins to get behind the defence.

Leon Bailey himself has registered seven goals and six assists this season from the wings of the pitch and full-backs Matty Cash and Lucas Digne have been reliable and more attack-minded on the flanks.

This helps Villa create an overload of people in the attacking third and has contributed to their excellent goalscoring record and this will have to be controlled by the likes of Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw for Manchester United.

Shaw and Dalot have started to create quite the partnership on the flanks, and both have the ability to get higher up the pitch and make an impact, providing a reliable option for United wingers Rashford, Garnacho or Anthony.

Dalot has registered a goal and an assist from his full-back position whilst Shaw has recently returned from an injury and has made 10 appearances so far this season.

All the wingers at United can happily take a man on to progress up the field and this sort of play can be expected from the wide men who use their technical skill to turn nothing into something and create chances for the central players of Fernandes and Hojlund.

This is something Aston Villa full-backs Digne and Cash will try and prevent by being aggressive off the ball, ensuring the wingers have little space to work in and trying to force them to recycle the ball and give away possession.

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Aston Villa vs Manchester United: Five key battles