A trip to Old Trafford, Lille next Thursday and match facts from the BBC

What is really more important, the League or Europe? For me, it's Europe because it's our only chance of silverware. That written, what are the chances of winning it, when you think about our form of late.

But we've just won our first match since Brighton over a month ago and I'm thinking today could be the day when we start another little run. And if our form suggests winning silverware is going to be tough this season, isn't winning what we can to get top four the target. 

And if we accept that that should be target and I think we really should, then I have to change my mind and say the League is most important. At this moment in time.

And the game, I seem to be writing about this a lot these days, is designed in such a way that we should be happy. Winning silverware is the target but getting to a place where you can compete for silverware on a regular basis comes from playing in the Champions League and generating more money.

But both options still exist for us and I'm fairly confident this manager is not going to take it easy with either route. And this manager fixes things. And this manager knows what is required to win. And this manager has his captain back. Will he start today?

Today is important. We just beat Lille and winning today would put us back into third and give us back the gap to the team in fifth that we used to have. It will also give us a little confidence ahead of Lille and that I feel is going to be needed.

What today comes down to will be the eleven on the pitch. They'll know what they need to do, it's very much if they deliver. We need to want it more than the eleven from Manchester United. That and thinking before passing and sometimes just shooting. 

And I've woken with the idea in my head that watching at the pub might be a good idea, so I think that's where I'm heading.

Match facts from the BBC

• Manchester United have lost just two of their last 37 home league games against Aston Villa (W28 D7), going down 1-0 both times in December 2009 and September 2021.

• Following their 2-1 win in December, Aston Villa are looking to complete the league double over Manchester United for the first time since 1954-55.

• Manchester United have kept 30 clean sheets against Aston Villa in the Premier League – only Arsenal have kept more against a single opponent in the competition (31 vs Newcastle).

• Having lost three of their first six Premier League games this season (W2 D1), Manchester United have since lost just three of their last 23 (W13 D7), though they did slip to a 2-1 loss at Newcastle United last time out.

• Manchester United have scored in their last 17 Premier League games, since losing 1-0 to Everton in November. They last had a longer scoring streak between November 2012 and April 2013 under Alex Ferguson (23).

• Aston Villa have won just three of their last 11 Premier League games (D3 L5); since the first game in this run (1-4 defeat to Arsenal on Dec 30th), only four sides have accrued fewer points than Unai Emery’s side (12) in the competition.

• Michael Carrick has won all five of his Premier League home games as Manchester United manager (1 in 2021, 4 in 2026); only three managers have won each of their first six home matches in the competition: Sven-Göran Eriksson (first 9 in 2007), Carlo Ancelotti (first 7 in 2009), and Manuel Pellegrini (first 11 in 2013-14).

• Bruno Fernandes’ goals and assists have been worth 23 points to Manchester United this season. In Premier League history, only three players’ goal involvements have been worth more to the Red Devils in a campaign – Robin van Persie in 2012-13 (38), Eric Cantona in 1993-94 (26) and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007-08 (25).

• Of the 150 players to have had 1000+ touches in the Premier League this season (coming into this weekend’s games), Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has had the highest percentage of them come while under pressure (83.7% - 1190/1422).

• In six Premier League games this season in which none of Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn or Youri Tielemans have started for Aston Villa, Unai Emery’s side have won just once (D2 L3), averaging 0.8 points-per-game. By contrast, the Villans have won seven of 10 league matches in which all three have started in 2025-26 (D2 L1), averaging 2.3 points-per-game.