unai-emery.jpg
Getty Images

As far as debuts go, Unai Emery's as Aston Villa manager last Sunday was special. The Spaniard led his Villans to a 3-1 home win over Manchester United to end a 27-year wait for a Premier League victory over the Red Devils at Villa Park. Fast forward to Thursday and Emery gets another shot at Erik ten Hag with his new team in the EFL Cup at Old Trafford. A known cup specialist, the former Villarreal, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla, and Valencia boss will be targeting deep runs in both domestic trophies in a bid to take Villa back into Europe.

As for United, a response is needed after a poor outing in Birmingham which ended a three-match winning run for the five-time winners. Villa also boasts five titles too with both locked on five successes and four runners-up appearances. This was a final itself back in 2010 when United came from behind to beat Villa 2-1 in a match remembered mainly for the decision to not sent Nemanja Vidic off after five minutes for conceding a penalty.

Here are our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:

How to watch and odds

  • Date: Thursday, Nov. 10 | Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
  • Location: Old Trafford -- Manchester, England
  • TV/Live stream: ESPN+
  • Odds: United -175; Draw +275; Villa +400 (via Caesars Sportsbook)

Storylines

United: Ten Hag will demand a response from his players after they were second best to Villa from start to finish last weekend. Bruno Fernandes is back from suspension so should be drafted in after Donny van de Beek's unimpressive showing at Villa Park. Raphael Varane, former Villa loanee Axel Tuanzebe and Brandon Williams remain sidelined for the Red Devils while Jadon Sancho and Antony will likely require late fitness tests. Diogo Dalot picked up a Premier League suspension in Birmingham last Sunday but that will not impact his involvement here. Do not be surprised if Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial all feature for Ten Hag while Martin Dubravka could find himself making a belated United debut.

Villa: As for Villa, Jan Bednarek and Leander Dendoncker are cup-tied after their involvement with Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively in earlier rounds. Philippe Coutinho missed the win over United and Emery has since confirmed that he has an injury which should rule him out here and at the weekend against Brighton and Hove Albion. Diego Carlos is a long-term absentee so missed Tite's Brazil squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar along with Coutinho. A surprise returnee against United last weekend, Boubacar Kamara could start for Villa with Dendoncker out in midfield and Robin Olsen could also get the nod along with captain John McGinn and striker Danny Ings.

Prediction

Villa made United look extremely average last weekend so United will react to that and try to show much better here. However, the Villans will have huge motivation given the importance of a potential route into Europe while they try to address their Premier League position. This promises to be tight over 90 minutes and penalties would not be a hug surprise. Ten Hag is probably not too worried about the risk of going out with a very tough UEFA Europa League draw with Barcelona to come early next year but a premature exit here might count against the Dutchman if the Red Devils were to fall to Barca in Europe. Expect a couple of goals and for both sides to be going for it as regular domestic cup rivals.

Pick: United 1-1 Villa (United to win via penalties).