This weekend sees the first major final of the season as Man United meet Aston Villa at Wembley for the Carling Cup final, Martin O’Neill will be aiming to win his first trophy as Villa Manager but he will need to outwit Sir Alex Ferguson who is the master of major finals. O’Neill has been steadily building an exciting team at Villa Park and a victory on Sunday would be further progress for his young side, the club have not won any silverware for a number of years and are desperate to end that drought with the Carling Cup. They will not find it easy though as they will face a Man United team that have been winning trophies for 15 years and a Manager in Sir Alex who never tires in his pursuit for success.

It could be a pivotal match for Martin O’Neill and his Villa side as they look to move to the next level and start mixing it with the big boys, they are chasing Champions League qualification as well this season in what could be a landmark campaign. If they are able to pick up the Carling Cup then that will surely give them the boost they need to grab that 4th place and Champions League football, conversely though they could also end the season with no trophies and onlyEuropa League Football to look forward to once again next year. Last season Villa were in prime position for a Champions League spot after Christmas but they suffered an alarming slump in form to miss out and they will not want that to happen again. O’Neill has stated that he believes the squad is stronger this season and those comments will need to be backed up over the next few weeks if his plan at Villa Park is to come to fruition.

There is one man who will be trying to derail the Aston Villa dream and that is Sir Alex Ferguson who continues to strive for silverware as his Man United team continue to battle on several fronts. United are chasing the Premier League Crown, the Champions League and of course the Carling Cup on Sunday, Sir Alex has played several youngsters during the Carling Cup run but they have been up to the task and he is now eager to pick up yet another trophy. He will happily admit that United have bigger fish to fry in the Champions League and Premier League but they is no substitute for winning and the Carling Cup will provide his team with a timely boost ahead of a tough run-in

Man United are of course the clear favourites to take the win at Wembley with Wayne Rooney the man to watch, he is in the form of his life at the moment and is looking unplayable. The Sack Race feels that this is a big match for United but an even bigger one for Martin O’Neill and Aston Villa in what could potentially be a big moment in their development. O’Neill will know that it is about time that his team progressed to the next level and there is no better way to do that than winning major trophies such as this one, Villa have some of the most demanding fans in the county and will be expecting them team to continue to move forward.

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