Emiliano Martínez makes the cut: Aston Villa v Manchester United team news for Premier League clash
Manager Unai Emery has named his team for Aston Villa’s Premier League match against Manchester United this afternoon.
Villa are looking for their tenth consecutive win in all competitions and their seventh in the Premier League, but their historical record against United is the source of decades of misery and a near-total lack of confidence despite being both the team in form and the superior one.
Emery has been able to welcome goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez back into the starting line-up after injury. United have been an unavoidable part of his story in 2025, from his sending off at Old Trafford to a transfer there that never materialised.
Villa are otherwise unchanged. With Pau Torres still out, Victor Lindelöf continues at centre-back alongside Ezri Konsa. Ian Maatsen keeps his place at left-back.
Villa stick with loaded midfield
It ain’t broke, so Emery hasn’t fixed it. Developing a team line-up that maximises Villa’s midfield talents has been a crucial factor in recent weeks and the big hitters have all been named in the starting eleven again today.
Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara will play as a midfield double pivot at Villa Park, a pairing enabled by Youri Tielemans playing off striker Ollie Watkins and captain John McGinn starting to his right.
Consequently, we can expect McGinn and Morgan Rogers to drop into a midfield four out of possession and Tielemans to make up a front two with Watkins.
Midfielder George Hemmings has been named on the bench again and is joined by 18-year-old central defender Leon Routh, who joined Villa from Luton Town last year and signed a new contract early this month.
Villa team news in full
Starting XI: Martínez, Cash, Konsa, Lindelöf, Maatsen, Onana, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Watkins
Substitutes: Bizot, Digne, García, Routh, Bogarde, Hemmings, Buendía, Malen, Guessand
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