Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has insisted that Manchester United are still the main scalp in the Premier League, despite the emergence of Manchester City.

The Villa manager, who welcomes United to Villa Park in Saturday's late kickoff, has admitted that Sir Alex Ferguson's side are still the team to beat.

"At the moment, I would still say United are the scalp. City are getting there and, under Kenny [Dalglish], Liverpool are making big strides. But there is always that magic when United come to play," said McLeish.

"Any of those scalps, the super clubs, would be brilliant results for the others in the league because of the confidence and mental toughness factor."

Villa could close the gap on the top seven with victory on Saturday evening.