(Manchester United News)
Earlier in the season, all signs pointed to relegation for Aston Villa, who were in the drop zone as recently as February and still face a battle to keep the top-flight status they've held continuously since 1987/88.
Tim Sherwood's arrival at Villa Park didn't immediately have the desired effect after the departure of Paul Lambert, as the Villans lost their first two games under the former Tottenham manager. But two subsequent wins over West Brom and Sunderland - albeit followed by a defeat to Swansea - have given Saturday's opponents a fighting chance of survival.
Remarkably, 16th-placed Villa could end the season celebrating both Premier League survival and their first silverware in 19 years, having reached this month's FA Cup semi-finals. But Sherwood warns: "If we win the FA Cup but get relegated, it will be a failure."
Villa’s recent form against United is poor. A 1-1 draw at Villa Park in December halted a run of seven straight Reds victories, including a 4-1 Old Trafford thrashing and a 3-0 win for United at Villa Park last season. The Villans have only beaten United once in Manchester since 1983 - in December 2009, when Gabriel Agbonlahor headed home a cross from his then team-mate Ashley Young.
The Villa squad has been plagued by injuries this season,with Libor Kozak, Matthew Lowton and Jores Okore long-term absentees, and Aly Cissokho, Kieran Richardson and Nathan Baker absent for another week at least. Defender Philippe Senderos faces a late fitness test, but Ron Vlaar, Joe Cole and United loanee Tom Cleverley should all return. Sherwood has altered Lambert’s 4-3-3 formation to a more attacking 4-4-2 and is likely to try to hit the Reds on the counter-attack, using the pace and power of Agbonlahor, Christian Benteke and Andreas Weimann.
