MX23RW : Sunday, January 19 08:39:21| >> :120:41670:41670:

Dean Smith urges Aston Villa to 'go toe-to-toe' with Manchester United

Dean Smith urges Aston Villa to 'go toe-to-toe' with Manchester United
© Reuters
Villa face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Dean Smith has challenged Aston Villa to prove they can match Manchester United.

Villa go to Old Trafford on Saturday with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side joint top of the Premier League.

Villa have lost twice to Chelsea, in the Premier League and Carabao Cup, this month but beat Everton 3-0 last weekend with Smith eager to see his men show their class.

He said: "Our job is to go there and go toe-to-toe with them like we did at Chelsea.

"The Chelsea Premier League game was the catalyst – we went toe-to-toe with them and created big chances. A mistake killed the game for us in that one.

"We took that positivity into the game against Everton and it was a bit of a chess game for 60 minutes but once we got our first goal it was all guns blazing and a comfortable win in the end.

"We feel like there's a lot of confidence and belief in the group and we feel like we've got a talented group, so there's no reason why there shouldn't be."

Smith is without Axel Tuanzebe, who cannot play against his parent club, Leon Bailey (quad) and Morgan Sanson (hamstring).

Sanson has made just 10 appearances since a £14million January move from Marseille and made his fourth Villa start in the Carabao Cup penalty defeat at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday before being forced off.

Smith added: "It's really disappointing for Morgan and frustrating for him. He has had to battle away for the last four or five months with a knee injury. He gets over that and he built up minutes.

"He was ready to play against Chelsea and he was playing well. He just felt a twinge in his hamstring and it can happen to players who haven't had a full pre-season."

ID:465149:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect2507:
Written by
P A

Click here for more stories about Dean Smith

Click here for more stories about Aston Villa

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Chelsea's Timo Werner celebrates scoring against Real Madrid in the Champions League on May 5, 2021
Read Next:
Timo Werner hopes his goal against Aston Villa puts him back on track at Chelsea
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Washington
45-31
Lions
8pm
Rams
@
Eagles
11.30pm
Ravens
@
Bills
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool21155150203050
2Arsenal22128243212244
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest21125430201041
4Newcastle UnitedNewcastle22115638261238
5Chelsea21107441261537
6Bournemouth22107536261037
7Aston Villa2210663334-136
8Manchester CityMan City2110563829935
9Fulham228953430433
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2171043229331
11Brentford2284104039128
12Crystal Palace226972528-327
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd217592629-326
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2275102743-1626
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs21731143321124
16Everton203891526-1117
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2144133148-1716
18Ipswich TownIpswich2137112037-1716
19Leicester CityLeicester2235142348-2514
20Southampton2113171347-346


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!