Manchester United vs Aston Villa: Corners in the 1st half

Manchester United is showing great results at home this season in the English Premier League. Both clubs approach their encounter in a bad mood after being eliminated from the EFL Cup. What should we expect from the upcoming game?

Last weekend Manchester United played in London against West Ham United. This game was one of the most dramatic ones in the opening stage of the EPL season. Man United took a 2-1 lead at the end of the game, but the Hammers were awarded a penalty kick in the penalty shootout. For the first time in a long time, De Gea saved the Red Devils, bringing his team to victory. Manchester United is 3rd in the Premier League standings with 13 points.

Last week, Aston Villa took on Everton at home. The team managed to rehabilitate themselves after their last two poor performances against Brentford (1-1) and Chelsea (0-3). Dean Smith's side showed high-quality play and excellent execution. The Birmingham side claimed a 3-0 win over the Toffees. After five games, Aston Villa sits 10th in the English Premier League table.

In the previous English Premier League season, Manchester United managed to outplay Aston Villa twice. At home, Solskjær’s side managed to beat the Lions 2-1, and in Birmingham, they won 3-1. The clubs have played a total of 191 games against each other, the Red Devils claiming twice as many victories as the opponent (101-50).

• Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Maguire, Shaw, Fred, McTominay, Pogba, Fernandes, Greenwood, Ronaldo.
• Aston Villa: Martinez, Mings, Hause, Konsa, Cash, Luiz, Nakamba, Ramsey, Young, Ings, Watkins.

• Total Over 2.5 goals were scored in 12 of Aston Villa’s last 15 matches in the EPL;
• In 7 of Manchester United's last 8 home matches against Aston Villa in all competitions, Total Over 2.5 goals were scored;
• Manchester United has won 5 of the last 6 matches in the EPL;
• Manchester United scored at least two goals in 7 of the last 8 home matches against Aston Villa in all competitions;
• In 4 of the last 5 matches between Manchester United and Aston Villa, Corners Total Over 10.5 paid off.

Both clubs approach the game not in the best mood, as they have finished their performance in the EFL Cup. Manchester United failed to break through West Ham United's defense at home to suffer a 0-1 defeat, while Aston Villa left Stamford Bridge again as the loser - a penalty shootout defeat to Chelsea. Obviously, the clubs will try to make up for that in the next encounter at Old Trafford.

I suggest paying attention to the clubs' stats on corner kicks. Manchester United averages 5.60 corner kicks in the 1st half, and the average total of Man United and Aston Villa before halftime is around 5 corners. There have also been plenty of corner kicks in their recent head-to-head encounters. You can consider the line with corner kicks in the first half as the main bet.

Manchester United's defense has improved in quality this season, but at times the players still lack chemistry, so it is unlikely that the club will be able to keep a clean sheet against Villa. However, I believe Ole Gunnar Solskjær's team to win, as well as the prolific performance of Bruno Fernandes, who scored in all three games against the Birmingham club.

• Corners Total Over (5.5) in 1st Half for 2.21;
• Both Teams To Score + Total Over (2.5) for 2.00;
• Man United To Win + Total Over (2.5) for 1.88.