‘Definitely’: Erik ten Hag expects Aston Villa to be out for blood after midweek Chelsea defeat

Erik ten Hag expects a spirited showing from Aston Villa this afternoon as they look to bounce back from their midweek defeat to Chelsea.

Manchester United are undergoing their final preparations ahead of Sunday’s 4.30pm kick-off in the West Midlands, and the manager is well aware that his players will be up against a riled-up crop of Villans.

On Wednesday evening, Villa exited the FA Cup after their fourth-round replay with Chelsea saw them sustain a surprising 3-1 defeat on home turf – where they’ve been colossal under Unai Emery.

Chelsea, who have been out-of-form as of late, dominated Villa across the 90-minute tie in what was undoubtedly one of their better performances of the campaign. Villa’s only contribution came in injury time as Moussa Diaby pulled back one consolation goal.

The Villa Park outfit also dropped to fifth yesterday following Tottenham Hotspur’s last-gasp victory over Brighton and Hove Albion and that’ll only fuel them more as they try to reclaim their spot in the Champions League places.

Speaking to MUTV ahead of the contest, Ten Hag was asked whether today’s opponents would be adamant about bouncing back from their midweek upset. He responded: “Definitely. But it’s not about them. It’s about our mentality. It’s about our approach to the game. And, of course, it’s about our plan and how we execute the plan.

“So, we have to play to our max to find the right levels, to give this performance and to get a win.”