‘Today is huge’: Roy Keane says Aston Villa have lost home momentum ahead of hosting United at Villa Park

Roy Keane has shared his pre-match thoughts on Aston Villa’s clash with Manchester United this afternoon. 

The Red Devils will be looking to close the eight-point gap between them and Villa as they cling to the hope of securing some form of European football next term.

Meanwhile, Villa dropped to fifth following Tottenham Hotspur’s victory on Saturday and Unai Emery will have his side riled up to reclaim their Champions League spot with a win on home turf.

Boxing Day’s reverse fixture saw United perform an emphatic second-half turnaround to win 3-2 at Old Trafford, thanks to goals from Alejandro Garnacho (x2) and Rasmus Hojlund – the same ‘scorers from last Sunday’s win over West Ham United.

Keane previews Villa vs United

Keane, who was alongside Paul Merson on the Sky Sports panel for Super Sunday, reiterated the importance of today’s Premier League showdown: “I think Villa are going along nicely but a big word in sport and football we’ve always mentioned is momentum, and I think Villa have lost that just a little bit, particularly at home.

“They were invincible all along and maybe it’s a head job now for some of the players because the cup game during the week [3-1 defeat to Chelsea], Newcastle [3-1 loss]… they were 3-0 down in both games after about fifty-odd minutes. They certainly have to get back to winning games at home to have a chance of getting in the top four/five. But they’re going along nicely, steady. 

“This is where the season starts for teams who want to be involved in the big prizes towards the end of the season – a big prize for Aston Villa is getting that Champions League [spot]. Today is huge for them. Today is huge for Aston Villa and Man United and again, momentum is key. If you’ve just come off that home form, it’s hard to get it back.”

"Today is huge for Aston Villa and Manchester United" ⏳

Roy Keane says Aston Villa have lost the momentum but they can still aim for Champions League 📊 pic.twitter.com/70wDsXxcan

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 11, 2024

Kick-off is at 4.30pm in the West Midlands

Footage courtesy of Sky Sports.