Aston Villa starting XI vs Man Utd predicted as Moussa Diaby decision made
Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive as Unai Emery prepares his side for crunch Premier League visit of Manchester United
Aston Villa face a crucial Premier League clash against fellow Champions League hopefuls Manchester United at Villa Park on Sunday (4.30pm kick-off).
A Villa win would open up an 11-point gap on United, while a third consecutive defeat on home soil would reduce the cushion to five. Unai Emery's side were knocked out of the FA Cup after losing 3-1 to Chelsea on Wednesday, eight days after losing their 17-match unbeaten run to Newcastle by the same scoreline.
Emery could welcome Pau Torres back into the starting XI after he was on the substitutes' bench on Wednesday, while Moussa Diaby's impressive goalscoring cameo against Chelsea could stand him in good staead. Nicolo Zaniolo is also back fit, but the game is likely to come too soon for Lucas Digne.
Emi Martinez
The club's number one will make his 143rd appearance for Villa on Suday.
(Image: Mike Hewitt)1 of 11Matty Cash
Cash will likely start back-to-back games following the injury sustained by Ezri Konsa last week.
(Image: PA Wire)2 of 11Diego Carlos
Carlos didn't have his best game against Chelsea, but he'll start against United with Emery's options limited at centre-back.
(Image: Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)3 of 11Pau Torres
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Torres could make his first start since mid-December after returning to the bench against Chelsea. His involvement would be a huge boost.
(Image: Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)4 of 11Alex Moreno
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Digne is unlikely to be available against United, let alone start, so Moreno looks like the man.
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