Aston Villa v Man Utd preview

Gerard Houllier and Sir Alex Ferguson renew acquaintances for the first time since Houllier's time as Liverpool boss ended in 2004 after his failure to usurp Manchester United as the dominant force in England.

The Frenchman's ambitions at Aston Villa may be more modest, but the spectre of Ferguson and United still looms large: it is 15 years since the Manchester club last suffered a league defeat at Villa Park, a record Houllier would no doubt delight in overturning.

Villa go into the match struggling for consistency, with Wednesday's last-minute win over Blackpool their first in the league since September. A mounting injury list has not helped matters, with nine players likely to be absent for Saturday's encounter. But the return to fitness of Gabriel Agbonlahor, who has scored four of Villa's last seven goals against United, is a welcome relief.

United must pick themselves up from another lacklustre performance in the Manchester derby, a result which saw them slip four points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea. They have now drawn five of their six league games on the road, but can boast an unbeaten record that stretches back 24 matches.

Aston Villa could be without nine players for the visit of Manchester United on Saturday.

Defensive duo Carlos Cuellar (calf) and Habib Beye (ankle) are the latest injury victims, with neither expected to recover in time.

Manchester United will be without Paul Scholes, who is suspended after picking up five yellow cards.

Defender Rafael Da Silva is out with a dead leg, while an ankle injury to Patrice Evra will be assessed.