Beaten Man United returns to league business - 7M sport

Beaten Man United returns to league business



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Posted Thursday, December 01, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

After a lackluster midweek exit from the League Cup, Manchester United returns to serious business Saturday with the aim of keeping up with Premier League leader Manchester City.

Manager Alex Ferguson is sure to recall his senior players to face Aston Villa on Saturday after Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Nemanja Vidic and David de Gea all sat out Wednesday’s 2-1 loss against second-tier Crystal Palace.

Ferguson apologized to fans for his team’s quarterfinal defeat, but his team selection showed that the tournament didn’t feature highly on his list of priorities. Mame Biram Diouf and Federico Macheda both started the game, while Paul Pogba, Zeki Fryers and Ravel Morrison all came on as substitutes.

“I don’t know where to start, to be honest,” Ferguson said. “That was not a Manchester United performance.”

But with City an overwhelming favorite to beat newly promoted Norwich on Saturday, Ferguson needs a better display against Villa.

City is already five points clear and unbeaten. Any slip-up by United at Villa Park could even give Tottenham the chance to take second place if it beats Bolton.

United is unbeaten in 16 visits to Villa Park since 1999, when a weakened side lost in the League Cup.

The full-strength United lineup Ferguson is likely to opt for on Saturday will almost certainly include England winger Ashley Young, who will be returning to Villa for the first time since leaving to join United in the offseason.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less than a good reception for Ashley from our fans,” Villa defender Stephen Warnock said. “It’s not often the Premier League champions and the Champions League runners-up come calling and knocking on the door for you.

“We’re a club who want to progress but Manchester United as a team are at the top and Ashley has aspirations to be a top, top player and he has that ability to be one of the best in Europe. I don’t think fans can begrudge him that.”

Villa is in eighth place, albeit seven points behind seventh-place Arsenal and tied on points with the two sides immediately below it.

City won 1-0 at Arsenal in the League Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday to stay in contention for at least two tournaments. Although Champions League progress looks unlikely, City has not lost domestically since a 2-1 defeat to Everton toward the end of the last Premier League season.

After starting against the Gunners, winger Adam Johnson is hoping to start a Premier League match for the first time since Oct. 26.

“For me and the lads that play in this competition, this gives us a chance to push to play in the team week in, week out,” Johnson said.

Tottenham lost to PAOK Thessaloniki in the Europa League on Wednesday but has placed little importance on the competition this season, instead focusing on its best start to a league campaign since opening its double-winning season of 1960-61 with 11 straight wins.

“It was a different team and it is hard when you make a lot of changes,” manager Harry Redknapp said. “Look at what happened to Manchester United. They lost. It happens all the time.

“We have been lucky so far and the important thing is that we have the players fresh for the Premier League at the weekend.”

Spurs’ 3-1 win at West Bromwich Albion last weekend was its ninth win from 10 games, with the other a draw.

Scott Parker, Gareth Bale and Emmanuel Adebayor are likely to return after being omitted from the starting lineup in Europe, although Rafael van der Vaart may again be absent because of injury.

Also Saturday, fifth-place Chelsea travels to fourth-place Newcastle, Arsenal is at Wigan, last-place Blackburn hosts Swansea and West Brom is at Queens Park Rangers.

On Sunday, it’s Everton-Stoke and Wolverhampton Wanderers-Sunderland. Liverpool is at Fulham on Monday.

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Man United


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