Aston Villa v Man Utd preview

O'Neill: Chasing top four finish

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Skysports.com prediction: 1-2

SKY BET odds: Villa 11/4, Draw 13/5, Man Utd 10/11

One to Watch: Wayne Rooney

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Aston Villa will be looking to complete a memorable double over Manchester United on Wednesday.

The reverse fixture between the two sides in December saw Villa prevail 1-0, securing their first Premier League victory over United in 28 attempts and their first success at Old Trafford since November 1983.

A repeat of that scoreline in midweek could be enough to pull Martin O'Neill's side level with fourth-placed Liverpool and keep them well in the hunt for UEFA Champions League qualification.

They have fared admirably against the so-called 'Big Four' this season, losing just one of their five fixtures, and have kept four clean sheets in their last five league games at Villa Park.

Villa have, however, failed to score in their last three outings and have now gone four hours and 59 minutes without a goal on home soil.

They will need to buck that trend against United as the Red Devils are in red-hot form at present and will fancy their chances of finding the target away from home.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side have failed to score on the road just five times in their last 22 games away from Old Trafford, but have lost on each occasion they have drawn a blank.

United are in fine shape at present, though, with four consecutive victories keeping them within touching distance of league leaders Chelsea.

In Wayne Rooney they can also boast a striker at the top of his game, with the England international having smashed through the 20-goal barrier for the season.

He has also tormented Villa on numerous occasions in the past, finding the back of the net five times in his last six starts against the men from the Midlands.

Team news

Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey is struggling to prove his fitness in time to make the crunch clash.

Heskey suffered a groin injury during Saturday's goalless draw at Tottenham and, although a scan revealed no major damage, Villa boss O'Neill rates the England striker 'doubtful' to face the Red Devils even though he is included in the squad.

John Carew could replace Heskey in the starting line-up after recovering from a knee problem and coming on as a substitute at White Hart Lane.

Left-back Stephen Warnock (ankle) is still unavailable as Villa attempt to complete their first league double over United for 55 years.

Veteran duo Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are set for recalls as Manchester United look to maintain their recent momentum.

The pair did not even make the bench for Saturday's 5-0 demolition of Portsmouth, which suggests they will face O'Neill's men.

Rio Ferdinand is suspended, while Nemanja Vidic has an outside chance of being involved for the first time this year after suffering a nerve problem in his leg last month.

Possible starting XIs

Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Luke Young, Ashley Young, Petrov, Milner, Downing, Agbonlahor, Carew.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Brown, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Scholes, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov.