Man Utd - Aston Villa: Waiting for Ten Hag to rotate the squad

In the 1-3 defeat to Aston Villa over the weekend, 18-year-old striker Alejandro Garnacho kicked for the first time. This is the Ten Hag award for young Argentine stars after many substitutions and impressions. Although the results against Aston Villa were not satisfactory, Ten Hag is expected to continue to give opportunities to new faces like Garnarcho when rematching in the 3rd round of the League Cup today.

Facundo Pellistri, the midfielder who has just been named in the Uruguay squad for the World Cup, is likely to be introduced after 11 consecutive games on the reserve list but did not play. Number two goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is also hoping to play. After moving to Old Trafford in the summer, Dubravka has yet to start a match due to David De Gea's steady form. This made the Slovakia goalkeeper want to leave.

How Man Utd is expected to react after breaking the nine-match unbeaten streak and drawing Barca in the Europa League play-off round. In the context that reaching the top four in the Premier League is a difficult task, the League Cup is the title "Red Devils" can aim for. Ten Hag also determined the same when speaking before the game.

"The performance at Villa Park was unacceptable. Man Utd need to play well every game and that's the culture we need here. But if you lose, you've lost. What Man Utd needs right now is a response. The team has to take every game seriously and we want to win this arena," said Ten Hag.

Man Utd has won the League Cup five times, most recently in the 2016-2017 season. Since then, they have reached the semi-finals twice, but have also been eliminated in the third round twice, including defeat at the hands of West Ham last season. Confrontation history Aston Villa in this arena is against "Red Devils". In a total of four encounters, they lost up to three, including the final in 1994.

Man Utd won Aston Villa 2-1 in the 2010 League Cup final, but twice in the third round, Aston Villa went on. In addition, Man Utd have lost their last three matches at home in the League Cup. These statistics will give more confidence to Unai Emery's teachers and students.

"We will play away. That is the first challenge for Villa if we want to replicate Sunday's performance at home. We will not have Leander Dendoncker and Jan Bednarek because they have attended the arena. This makes the rematch different. But my job is to create and build the team in a certain style. Change a few positions but Villa still have to show that style. ", Emery said.

Emery was appointed by Villa at the end of October, replacing Steven Gerrard. The former Arsenal coach made an impression in the first match when he helped Villa end 27 years without winning at home to Man Utd in the Premier League. But Emery's ambition is bigger than that. He wishes to bring the Villa Park home team back to the continental arena.

In addition to Dendoncker and Bednarek, Emery is also without the services of Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho this match. On the Man Utd side, they welcome Bruno Fernandes back after the suspension. The defeat against Villa showed the importance of the Portuguese midfielder, which Donny van de Beek cannot replace. Brandon Williams, Axel Tuanzebe and Raphael Varane are still absent but Anthony Martial could return to attack the home team.