Aston Villa v Manchester United
English Carling Cup Final
Wembley Stadium – London, England
28 February 2010 – 15:00 GMT
Manchester United looks to repeat as English Carling Cup champions while Aston Villa looks for their first trophy in several years.
Aston Villa v Manchester United Preview
Manchester United head into the Carling Cup facing the only team that has beaten them at Old Trafford (in the EPL) this season. Aston Villa are in contention for the 4th spot in the Premier League and manager Martin O’Neill has Villa in good form.
Man U has usually used many reserve and second tier players in the Carling Cup while Villa has used more of their regulars. Both teams will likely field their strongest available sides on Sunday and it should be a match of high quality. The one question mark around Villa is whether they will use back-up Brad Guzan or regular starter Brad Friedel.
Guzan has started all the Carling Cup matches and performed well but Friedel is an experienced goalkeeper that is one of the best in the league. Sir Alex Ferguson has a deep enough roster that he can rest a few players but should start most of his first team.
Wayne Rooney will be the main scoring threat for United but he will need help from the midfield. Nani has shown potential in matches but has yet to consistently live up to the hype. On the other end, Villa have a well balanced team with Richard Dunne in defense, rising star John Milner in defense, and striker Gabriel Agbonlahor up front.
It should be a close match and Villa will likely be more defensive and look for their chances on the counterattack. If Manchester United can get a solid performance from someone in the midfield to give Rooney some space, then it will likely be the Red Devils lifting the cup. Will this happen? It’s hard to say and thats why they play the games.
Aston Villa v Manchester United Prediction
Manchester United will win a close match that ends in penalty kicks, 2-2 (4-3 on penalties).
Aston Villa v Manchester United Live Blog
Watch Aston Villa v Manchester United Live Online
You can watch Aston Villa v Manchester United live online as well as dozens of other Premier League and European football games. Read our Carling Cup Live Online page for more details.
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