Manchester United vs. Aston Villa Betting Tips: Back McTominay to be carded at Old Traffford

Just one League Cup game takes place on Thursday evening with Manchester United facing Aston Villa at Old Trafford. The match can be seen live on Sky Sports and we’ve provided you with two tips that we like the look of.

Erik ten Hag will be out for revenge after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Villa Park, although is expected to make numerous changes ahead of this Carabao Cup clash. Axel Tuanzebe, Raphael Varane and Brandon Williams all remain out injured, while starts could be handed to Anthony Elanga, Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Anthony Martial. 

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Unai Emery will have been delighted with his sides showing in his first game in charge since arriving in the Midlands with goals from Lucas Digne, Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey securing the points. Leander Dendoncker and Jan Bednarek are both cup-tied, while Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Danny Ings are all expected to come into the starting XI. 

Both our bets on Thursday evening come courtesy of bet365, with the first of those being for Aston Villa’s John McGinn to make Over 2.5 tackles in the match at the price of 10/11. Manchester United have kept five consecutive clean sheets at Old Trafford and despite their excellent win on Sunday, this should be a tougher test for Emery’s men.

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John McGinn’s last three league appearances have all been from the substitutes bench, but looking back prior to that we can see that has recorded 3+ tackles in all of his last five starts. Those figures read, 3,5,3,4,5 and going back further, this bet has landed in eight of his last 10 matches. With this in mind, 10/11 with 365 looks a backable price for Over 2.5 tackles, with William Hill having their line for Over 3.5 even shorter at 17/20.

David Coote will be the man in the middle for this game and we’re backing him to dish out a card to Manchester United’s Scott McTominay. Coote has been one of the better officials for card-backers over recent years and had the highest yellow cards per game average of any top-flight referee last season showing 4.6 per 90. Coote also booked McTominay the last time he took control of a Man United game, even though the Scot only came off the bench for the last 10 minutes of the match. 

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McTominay has already collected five cautions in the league this season despite making just 11 appearances, five of which have been from the substitute. A serial offender and often the cornerstone of many punters' Bet Builder, the 25-year-old looks primed for a booking in what could be a lively affair in Manchester. 

Did you know that bet365 pay your team out as a winner if they go 2 goals ahead at any time in the match (available on over 80 leagues and competitions, T&C's apply). Find out more on our bet365 offers page.