Football Tips: Our 22/1 Bet Builder for Man Utd and Aston Villa New Year’s Day goal feast

This entertaining match up could mean New Years Day of 2021 is better than all of 2020 combined.

*All odds in copy are correct at time of publication but are subject to change and they’re always bang on with our clever live betting banners.

Happy New Year, folks. Although plenty of people wished me the same last year and that’s hardly turned out great, now has it? Maybe we’ll just acknowledge January 1st and revisit that greeting next year, shall we? But look, the new year does mean a bloated football calendar, and Man United versus Aston Villa does have a distinct January feel to it.

I’m not sure whether that’s because of all the third round FA Cup ties they’ve had through the years, or because Jack Grealish’s uncensored Christmas list could put him behind bars for a decade – but it does feel like a fixture we frequently stumble upon at this time of year.

Friday 8pm: Manchester United v Aston Villa
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I normally like to poke a bit of fun at Villa, but since consecutive defeats to Brighton and West Ham, they’re unbeaten in five including back to back 3-0 wins, a victory over Wolves in the derby and looking full value for their point against Chelsea.

They’re going to be a tough test for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s free-scoring United, you know – and if you’re still eating leftover turkey sandwiches a week on from Christmas, that’ll be a tough test for your bowels by half-time. Here’s a bet builder to kick off your new year with a bang.

Man United and the Draw

Yes, the Man United and the Draw price is quite short, but it makes sense in the context of this bet builder. One thing we couldn’t say about this Man United team over the last number of years is that they can craft a goal from anywhere because of one man’s brilliance.

I’m not being funny here, but Bruno Fernandes will not be miles off the betting for the Balon d’Or. He’s clearly putting up Cristiano Ronaldo-like numbers in the early stages of this season and just because he’s not a cocky fella with bad hair doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take notice of what he’s doing. United are now never out of games thanks to him – and that’s why this leg is being included.

Marcus Rashford to Score Anytime

What Man United have a lot of is very talented finishers. They just don’t necessarily have the strikers with the shrewdness to get into those positions very often. Think about it – how often do you see Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford actually craft something out of nothing? It’s usually from a run with the ball at their feet.

Aston Villa don’t crowd the penalty area though, and do allow for players in wide positions to cut inside and take aim. The England forward is deadly in those situations so we’re on Rashford to Score Anytime.

Half-Time Result: Aston Villa

This is where it gets interesting. United are notoriously slow starters and a lot of the praise for them is reserved based on the fact that they can come back in games – funnily enough, that’s the trademark most people associate Solskjaer with, so it’s not surprising it’s rubbed off on his players.

But Villa have hit the front early in the games, especially in the month of December, and Leicester aside, United really don’t have that assertive nature to win games in a manner that they used to. Half-Time Result: Aston Villa could prove profitable.

Over 2.5 Goals

I don’t know whether Over 2.5 Goals is in here to highlight my confidence in the attacking players or my lack thereof in the back fours of each – but either way, it lands us here. Goals galore to kick off January – what a treat.

*All odds in copy are correct at time of publication but are subject to change and they’re always bang on with our clever live betting banners.

Our bet builder for Man Utd v Aston Villa

Man United and the Draw
Marcus Rashford to Score Anytime
Half-Time Result: Aston Villa
Over 2.5 Goals

These four selections in a Bet Builder will give you odds of around 22/1 with Paddy Power.

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