Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has targeted overtaking his side's bitter rivals Manchester City to finish second in the Premier League this season.

United are currently fourth in the table but are just two points behind Manuel Pellegrini's men in second place, with their clash in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford a week away.

When asked if overtaking City in second place was his biggest ambition for the campaign, he told reporters: "Of course. I cannot deny that, because we have Manchester City at home next weekend.

"We also have the strongest record at home, so it's possible. But Manchester City are a top team, so it shall not be easy.

"First, I think, we have to concentrating on playing Aston Villa. When we played them away, we played 11 against 10 a lot of the time and still we couldn't score. They can be organised and play on the counter-attack, which is what I expect, and that's always difficult."

The Red Devils face off against Aston Villa in the Premier League later today.