Gerard Houllier's appointment at Aston Villa continues to polarise opinion but he has a major chance to improve his popularity if he can continue his private hoodoo over Sir Alex Ferguson.

Houllier is in an exclusive club of managers to have regularly triumphed over Ferguson and he will head into this showdown having beaten the Scot many times during his spell at Liverpool.

In 2000 he led Liverpool to their first victory over United in ten years before embarrassing United in the 2003 League Cup Final.

The Frenchman badly needs another priceless win as he bids to recover from what has been an underwhelming start to his tenure at Villa Park.

The snooze-inducing damp squib that was the Manchester derby on Wednesday night extended United's unbeaten run to a whopping 25 games in all competitions.

However, they have now drawn five their last six Premier League away games and Ferguson urgently needs to find a solution if he is to keep up the heat on Chelsea.

Key Match-Up: Ashley Young v Rio Ferdinand. Young has been given a licence to roam in a new role that has become a necessity due to the injury crisis that has gripped Villa Park. The winger has often been accused of going "missing" against the Big Four and needs a performance here. Ferdinand is steadily finding his feet again after returning from injury and appears to be making defending look easy again.

Form Guide: Villa's win over Blackpool on Wednesday night was only their first in six games and eased a little of then tension that had been building. United are desperate to end their frustrating sequence of draws on the road as they bid to cut Chelsea's lead at the top of the league, that currently stands at four points.

Odds: Villa 7/2, United 4/5, Draw 13/5

ASTON VILLA:

Houllier faces United for the first time since 2004 on a mission to end a run for Villa that stretches back even further.

Although Martin O'Neill led Villa to an impressive win at Old Trafford last season, United have not been beaten by the Birmingham claret and blue for 15 years.

That was the famous afternoon when TV pundit Alan Hansen claimed a beaten United "won't win anything with kids" which, of course, proved horribly inaccurate.

But Houllier, who has had many duels with Ferguson over the years, is desperate to bring an end to Villa's long wait for a win over the master manager at Villa Park.

He said: "We have not won against them here in the league for a long time. It's too long but it means at some stage it will change - whether that is this year, next year or whenever.

"At some stage it has to stop. We hope in front of our fans, we can do a good job. We cannot give them too much respect, we must not watch them play.

"We had not won at Old Trafford for a long time but we managed that last year. But it will certainly be nice to catch up with Sir Alex again.

"We've met several times since I left Anfield – he's been a friend for a long time. Before and after Liverpool, coaching, foreign trips, we've been friends and whatever happens on Saturday we will remain friends.

"There was a programme made in France about his personality and achievement. He's highly regarded, I mean, he's a genius."

Strategy: While Hansen once said United won't win anything with kids, Houllier will be hoping it doesn't ring true for Villa in this game. Due to a severe injury crisis, it will be a relatively inexperienced side with the likes of Nathan Delfouneso, Barry Bannan and Ciaran Clark expected to start. Houllier will send them out to sink or swim and will be hoping it is the latter if he is to avoid a heavy defeat. The return of Gabby Agbonlahor could be crucial, as the Villa striker has proven a menace to United in recent encounters.

Injury Update: Agbonlahor could start after playing an hour against Blackpool but Carlos Cuellar (calf), Habib Beye (ankle), Nigel Reo-Coker (knee), John Carew (calf), Emile Heskey (knee), Stiliyan Petrov (knee), Steve Sidwell (Achilles), Stephen Ireland (bug) are all ruled out.

MANCHESTER UNITED:

They remain unbeaten - and in title mix - despite an indifferent start to the season by their usual high standards.

But this only spells danger to the rest of the Premier League, according to United midfielder Darron Gibson.

Ferguson's team have yet to click into top gear, but Gibson said: " Everyone's saying we're not playing that well and there's no way we'll win the title this year.

"But we haven't lost yet and we're still up there. I don't think we've been playing badly, but I know we can play a lot better.

"And when we start playing well on a consistent basis - things are only going to get better. Nobody in the squad's worrying too much as it's still only November."

United have only earned a point at Villa Park on their last two visits, but Irishman Gibson, 23, said: "It's a tough place to go. It's nothing to do with the stadium or the fans, it's just because Villa are a good team.

"They haven't started as well this season as they would have hoped but they're still a top side. We just need to create a few more chances. If we do that, I'm confident we'll score and pick up three points. We want to kick on now, keep improving and go on another winning run."

Strategy: The Manchester derby was always going to prove a tough test for United, but expect them to attack Villa more than they did their rivals in a game where they were desperate to avoid defeat.

Injury Update: Wayne Rooney misses out as he returns from his fitness programme in America. Paul Scholes is doubtful, whileMichael Owen and Owen Hargreaves (both hamstring) are out along with long-term absentee Antonio Valencia. Read More: Aston Villa Manchester United