10 February 2024 , 07:00
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Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov expects his old team to drop points against Aston Villa on Sunday, but is backing Arsenal to come through their test away at West Ham.
Arsenal have been beaten twice by West Ham already this season, and threw away a two-goal lead to draw at the London Stadium last season. This time, though, the Bulgarian expects Mikel Arteta's men to beat a Hammers side brought back down to earth by Manchester United after going six games unbeaten.
United themselves are up against a Villa side who they beat 3-2 on Boxing Day after trailing 2-0. Unai Emery's team are coming off a 5-0 win at Sheffield United in their last league game, but lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup in midweek.
The other fixtures include inviting home games for title challengers Liverpool and Manchester City. Berbatov has given his thoughts on all 10 fixtures, including outings for two of his other old employers in the form of Spurs and Fulham
"Depending on which West Ham team turns up for the game, they can cause the opposition trouble or they can give the opposition space to score goals," Betfair Ambassador Berbatov wrote in his Metro column, backing a 2-1 Arsenal win. "The only thing Arsenal need to do is win because they’re waiting on Liverpool and Man City to make a mistake.
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"This is why it’s good play after your rivals sometimes, so you know exactly what you need to do. They’re watching you on TV, you drop points and the whole team is like, ‘okay guys, now is the time to catch up to them’. It will be a tight game, but I’ll go for Arsenal."
Berbatov has tipped 3-0 wins for City against Everton and Liverpool against Burnley, with both teams taking place on Saturday. It's a different story when it comes to United's trip to Villa Park, though.
Do you agree with Dimitar Berbatov's predictions? Let us know in the comments section
Manchester United came from behind to win at Villa Park in December (AFP via Getty Images)"A draw with goals because both teams have great young players that are hungry for goals and they’re hungry to show how good they are. Based on this, I’d like to see goals, but I cannot call who will win this one," he said, predicting a 2-2 draw.
United will be without Lisandro Martinez for the trip to Villa Park, with the centre-back set for another spell on the sidelines. Martinez was injured in the victory over West Ham, but manager Erik ten Hag has defended the Argentine's decision to attempt to play on.
“It was Lisandro's decision,” the manager said. “It was impossible to diagnose in two minutes. He was not comfortable to be back on the pitch. He tried and stopped in the next attack.
“It is a big setback for Licha, he is very disappointed but he is a fighter," Ten Hag added. "He will be back stronger and will play by the end of the season.”
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