Manchester United (h) Preview

Match Details:

Match: #5806

Season: 2025-26

Matchday: #24

League Game: #17

Manager Game: #164

Date: Sunday, 21 December 2025

Manager: Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 | Hondarribia, 2022-

Referee: Michael Oliver | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Northumberland, 2010-

Kick off: 4.30pm

Fixture History:

Villa’s 99th Home meeting with Manchester United

Home 🕒 98 | 🟩 36 | 🟨 24 | 🟥 38 | ⚽ 164 | 🥅 153 |

Villa’s 179th League meeting with Manchester United

League 🕒 178 | 🟩 45 | 🟨 41 | 🟥 92 | ⚽ 227 | 🥅 323 |

Villa’s 201st meeting with Manchester United

Total 🕒 200 | 🟩 51 | 🟨 43 | 🟥 106 | ⚽ 256 | 🥅 368 |

Villa’s last 5 results vs. Manchester United:

Old Trafford Bramall controversy costs Villa the game and UCL

🟥 25 May 2025, Villa 0-2 United

Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/5782

Solid Villa performance ends. How many times have Villa put in a shift like that and come out unlucky losers against United?

🟨 6 Oct 2024, Villa 0-0 United, Villa Park

Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/5735

The most undeserved defeat in living memory.

🟥 11 Feb 2024, Villa 1-2 United, Villa Park

Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/5705

2-0 up to 2-3 down

🟥 26 Dec 2023, Villa 2-3 United, Old Trafford

Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/5697

Evenly matched defeat

🟥 30 Apr 2023, Villa 0-1 United, Old Trafford

Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/5665

Last Win:

Unai lands

🟩 6 Nov 2022, Villa 3-1 United, Villa Park

Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/5643

What could happen:

Matty Cash 🇵🇱 could make his 150th Premier League start for Villa

Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/matty-cash

Lucas Digne 🇫🇷 could make his 125th Premier League appearance for Villa

Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/lucas-digne

Ezri Konsa 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 could make his 260th appearance for Villa

Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/ezri-konsa

Boubacar Kamara 🇫🇷 could make his 85th Premier League appearance for Villa

Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/boubacar-kamara

Amadou Onana 🇧🇪 could make his 50th appearance for Villa

Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/amadou-onana

Lamare Bogarde 🇳🇱 could make his 20th Premier League appearance for Villa

Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/lamare-bogarde

Villa could open a ten point gap to United or United could close the gap to four.

Referee History:

Michael Oliver's 40th game in charge.

Villa lose nearly one in two of those.

Villa receive on average 1.85 cards per game from Oliver, compared to 1.54 for the opposition

Oliver has awarded two penalties to Villa in 39 games and four to opponents

Villa have won four of their last five games officiated by Oliver

Referee: Michael Oliver | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Northumberland, 2010-

🕒 39 | 🟩 W13 | 🟨 D7 | 🟥 L19 |

🕒 39 | 🟩 33% | 🟨 18% | 🟥 49% |

Cards 🟨 69 | 🟥 3 | 1.85 |

Opposition Cards 🟨 56 | 🟥 4 | 1.54 |

Penalty ⚽ 2 | 🥅 4 |

Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟩

Michael Oliver has refereed Villa vs. Manchester United twice before, losing both.

Michael Oliver has never refereed Villa vs. Manchester United at Villa Park

🟥 10 Jan 2022, Villa 0-1 United, Old Trafford

FA Cup

🟥 1 Jan 2021, Villa 1-2 United, Old Trafford

Premier League

Full Referee Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/referee/michael-oliver

VAR History:

Peter Bankes' 17th game as VAR in a Villa match

No referee has been VAR more often for Villa

Villa have won nearly 3/4 of games Bankes has been VAR.

Bankes has awarded one penalty to Villa in 16 games and none to opponents

Villa have won three of their last five games VAR'd by Bankes

🕒 16 | 🟩 W11 | 🟨 D2 | 🟥 L3 |

🕒 16 | 🟩 69% | 🟨 12% | 🟥 19% |

Cards 🟨 31 | 🟥 1 | 2.00 |

Opposition Cards 🟨 37 | 🟥 1 | 2.38 |

Penalty ⚽ 1 | 🥅 0 |

Last 5: 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟨 🟩

Peter Bankes has never VAR'd Villa vs. Manchester United