Will the rise and rise of Ole's Red Devils continue in 2021?

Latest EPL standings as well as fixtures and results are found below the predictions.

Manchester United finished off 2020 as one of the English Premier League's in-form teams, as did underdogs Aston Villa.

And both are itching to continue the trend as they meet at Old Trafford on New Year's Day.

The Red Devils signed off the old year with a last-gasp victory over Wolves, leaving them second in the table and a tantalising three points behind north west rivals Liverpool.

It represents a real improvement in fortunes for the permanently-under-the-cosh Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his side.

Marcos Rojo will continue his spell on the sidelines and could be joined by Victor Lindelof, who is doubtful thanks to a back problem.

Marcus Rashford and Aaron Wan-Bissaka look to have come through their respective returns from injury unscathed.

Villa continued their unbeaten run with a creditable draw at Chelsea last Monday, ensuring they herald the new year in fifth spot, four points shy of their hosts.

Dean Smith's men even have a game or two in hand on those around them, putting them firmly in the mix for European qualification come the season's sharp end.

Tyrone Mings looks set to return to the backline after serving his suspension and Ross Barkley could come back into contention.

Trezeguet and Wesley, meanwhile, will both miss the trip to Manchester.

Manchester United vs Aston Villa: English Premier League Predictions by the numbers

Coming into this game, Manchester United has picked up 11 points from the last 5 games, both home and away. That's 2.2 points per game on average. BTTS has landed in an intriguing 3 of those games. Manchester United has scored 12 times in the last 5 fixtures.

Manchester United has enjoyed playing at home recently, with the side currently unbeaten in 4 games.

Momentum is really building for Manchester United as they have now gone 9 games without losing. They have won 3 of the last 5 games they have played.

Manchester United is unbeaten in the last 5 games coming into this fixture against Aston Villa, having won 3 and drawn 2. They have scored 12 goals in those 5 games.

In the last 5 matches for Manchester United, 3 of those games has ended with both teams scoring. This season 10 matches (67% of all matches) involving Manchester United has seen BTTS landing.

It's likely that Manchester United will score today, as they have netted in the last 4 games coming into this one and have scored 12 goals in the last five games.

Coming into this game, Aston Villa has picked up 11 points from the last 5 games, both home and away. That's 2.2 points per game on average. BTTS has landed in just 1 of those games. Aston Villa has scored 8 times in the last 5 fixtures.

Aston Villa has enjoyed playing away from home recently, with the side currently unbeaten in 3 games.

Scoring is not an issue for Aston Villa when they play away from home. They have scored in the last 7 games they have played on the road. Can Manchester United stop this run?

Momentum is really building for Aston Villa as they have now gone 5 games without losing. They have won 3 of the last 5 games they have played.

Aston Villa has kept 4 clean sheets in the last 5 games, conceding 1 goals during this period. Overall this season, their defence has kept a clean sheet on 8 occasions.

Aston Villa is unbeaten in the last 5 games coming into this fixture against Manchester United, having won 3 and drawn 2. They have scored 8 goals in those 5 games.

Just 1 of the last 5 games for Aston Villa has ended with both teams scoring. They have won 3 of those 5 games. Overall, BTTS has landed in 5/14 games for Aston Villa this season.

Stats source: footystats.org

Manchester United vs Aston Villa: Prediction

Prediction methodology explained: The expected win percentage is based off publicly available odds. For example, if a team's odds are 2.30, the expected chance of winning is 43%. If the odds are 1.62 the expected chance of winning is 62% and so on. These are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change. Where there is no value listed, the odds were not available at the time of writing.

Manchester United vs Aston Villa: EPL starting XI prediction

Probable Manchester United Starting XI: David de Gea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Eric Bailly, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay, Fred, Mason Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial.

Probable Aston Villa Starting XI: Emiliano Martinez, Matthew Cash, Kortney Hause, Tyrone Mings, Matt Targett, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Anwar El Ghazi, Ross Barkley, Jack Grealish, Ollie Watkins.

All EPL fixtures and results for this weekend

Latest Premier League standings

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