Looking at the long term stats, Aston Villa don’t have a great record versus Manchester United and neither does Martin O’Neill. It is easy to recall MON’s Leicester giving Arsenal or Liverpool a bloody nose but triumphs against United were harder to come by.

O’Neill did manage to guide Celtic to a 4-3 friendly win at Old Trafford but there seemed to be a mental block when it came to the real thing.

That was until earlier this season when a Gabby Agbonlahor goal Villa a 1-0 win over United in Manchester.

With the Carling Cup final looming, O’Neill will be in no mood to relinquish the upper hand. United will have the title race on their mind and Chelsea’s clinical destruction of Arsenal has put the Blues back on top. Alex Ferguson will know that he cant afford to drop too many more points in the league. The League Cup is still a trophy worth winning but United fans crave the league title, especially given how they rate with Liverpool for league title wins.

There is no doubt that the United team will have a greater level of experience in winning these matches but in O’Neill and Stan Petrov, Villa have some men who are no strangers to lifting silverware.

There is plenty to play for both clubs in this Villa Park clash and although the outcome of the league match is unlikely to have a direct influence on the League Cup final, some fans will be hoping this Wednesday night in a marker for the Wembley final.

Speaking of fans, a friend of WeKnowFA is a big Aston Villa fan and is on the lookout for a Wembley ticket. He is an American who has been in the country for the past two years and has been a regular at Villa Park and away following the team. He fears though that this wont be enough for the priority booking system and as he expects to be back Stateside in a few years, who knows if the chance to see Villa at Wembley will rise again?

As we said, he is a Yank but he definitely doesn’t call the game soccer and the pictures below (with his face obscured) should prove his credentials.

If any Villa fan can help him out for a Wembley brief, drop an email to villafancarlingcup@hotmail.com

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If you asked any Manchester United fan at that the start of the season if they would be content with a solitary League Cup as their only honour of the season, every single one would simply laugh in your face.

But if you ask them now, would the answer be the same?

It’s a strange time for the modern United fan. Playing second fiddle to Chelsea in the league, out of the FA Cup (first time to lower league opposition under Sir Alex) and competing in the strongest Champions League in recent times; the League Cup looks a much more appealing prospect now.

Even winning the League Cup isn’t that simple. United face the blue half of Manchester, Manchester City, who are resurgent with a new lease of life under newly appointed boss Roberto Mancini. After losing to bitter rivals Leeds, Ferguson looks set to play a weakened team after losing patience with big stars such as Dimitar Berbatov and Gary Neville.

After winning the past three consecutive Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008, you have to wonder where it went all wrong for United?

The sale of Cristiano Ronaldo last year is obviously a huge factor in United’s decline, but their persistence in not buying an able replacement has hurt them more than expected.

Ronaldo’s ability to control games and win them with single moments of brilliance often dug United out of big holes, and was the main reason for their superiority over the past two years. Now, United must rely on the likes of Antonio Valencia and youngster Gabriel Obertan to come up in the big moments and shine.

It’s a sign of decline for United’s fans as their club are now drastically cost-cutting.

Replacing Ronaldo with a Wigan winger and Carlos Tevez with an ageing Michael Owen is just a sign of things to come, as several of United’s squad are not getting any younger. The worrying thing about this is that United are still relying on Giggs and Scholes to get them out of tricky situations.

With a weaker squad than past seasons and relying solely now on Wayne Rooney for inspiration, you have to think what is next for United if they don’t overcome City in their upcoming semi-final, or, even worse, injury to Mr Coleen Rooney…

United fans, are you starting to get nervous?

This article was written by guest columnist Dan Gillespie – stay tuned for more from Dan in the forthcoming days and weeks – a welcome addition to the WeKnowFA team.

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If they come through them relatively unscathed, they will have passed another huge test but as Martin O’Neill knows, the tests do not stop coming for top teams. If Villa want to be a top team, they better get used to the pressure.

Villa’s next four games are:

Sunday 27th Dec: EPL: Away to Arsenal

Tuesday 5th Jan: League Cup: Away to Blackburn

6 points up for grabs and two cup ties, not season ending but potentially season defining.

The game at the Emirates will be a true test of Villa’s ability to mix it with the top teams. That is a bit unfair considering they have already won at Anfield and Old Trafford, as well as defeating Chelsea at home but if Villa can secure the scalp of the last remaining big four team, is there any reason to ever look back?

Villa are behind Arsenal only because of goal difference but the London club do hold a game in hand over their Midlands rivals. With Robin van Persie still unavailable, it is a good time to be taking on Arsenal but they have shown they can get goals from other areas.

Even if this match doesn’t go the way of Villa, the visit of Liverpool gives them the opportunity to create daylight between themselves and their Merseyside rivals.

Rafa Benitez is confident enough to guarantee a top four finish to his fans but a Villa win would see them, at worst, 8 points better off and full of confidence. Having already triumphed at Anfield, Villa have to fancy themselves to defeat Liverpool, who will be missing Mascherano through suspension (and injury).

A minimum of four points would set Villa up nicely for their Cup epic against Blackburn Rovers, the first two games in a three match battle.

Martin O’Neill has to consider the FA Cup a top priority for his club. Champions League is obviously the place to be, as O’Neill knows full well from his time in Glasgow but some silverware wouldn’t go amiss.

The League Cup would be a great addition but anyone that had a heart would want to win the FA Cup.

With the first leg of the League Cup semi-final following so close to the FA Cup tie, there could be some interesting team selections.

It may be that Rovers boss Sam Allardyce will prefer to keep his team fresh for the Ewood Park semi-final, potentially giving Villa the upper hand in the League Cup tie.

Martin O’Neill knows what it takes to win domestic cups in Scotland and England but even he must be worrying how far his squad can go. The memories of last season are likely to be preying on his mind at times;

“I think it’s very much the case of same again. We are hanging in but we’re playing well, with plenty of confidence. We are managing to win games when we go behind and when we get in front too.”

Trophies are never won in January but they can be lost and Martin O’Neill will be looking to keep his side in the hunt by the time the weather turns for the better.

Villa fans, are you going to keep this run going?

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