Dean Smith is adamant Aston Villa can cause Manchester United problems despite the fine form of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Red Devils.
Villa meet United at the worst possible time, with confidence high among a squad that is enjoying a 16-match unbeaten run.
United are closing on on Champions League qualification, which seemed a distant dream when the two teams met at Old Trafford in December, the game ending in a 2-2 draw to leave United in ninth place.
However, Smith believes there are areas to exploit on Thursday night, and was encouraged by the display against Liverpool as Villa fought well before goals in the last 20 minutes led to a 2-0 loss.
"They are a very good team, they have improved. (Bruno) Fernandes is playing very well, they have pace and power up front," Smith told reporters.
"But they have conceded a couple of goals against Bournemouth. You can see weaknesses in any team.
"We felt there were weaknesses to exploit against Liverpool. So that's our job as coaches to analyse weaknesses, try and exploit them and stifle their strengths as well.
"There is a lot of heart we can take from our performance against Liverpool. We will need that sort of performance again, but be better in the final third.
"We got a point at Old Trafford, took a lead thanks to a great goal from Jack (Grealish) and we more than matched them on the day.
"We have to do that again, they're in a better run of form now but there is a lot of desire within the team."
