Aston Villa
Unai Emery, the manager of Aston Villa, will likely be pleased with the team’s performance after losing in the Third Round of the FA Cup. The squad has won consecutive Premier League games and the break between League matches gives Emery a chance to work with the players and prepare them for a strong finish to the season. Additionally, the break will allow Emery to evaluate the players and determine who will be important going forward and who should be moved on.
Aston Villa’s current position in 11th place in the Premier League table and only 3 points behind 6th placed Brighton has sparked motivation for the squad to push for a European berth. Their 5-2-3 League record at Villa Park is considered a decent return, and the team is optimistic about achieving a top-half finish which would be an improvement from last season. This outcome would validate the decision to sack former manager Steven Gerrard.
Aston Villa suffered a surprising loss against Stevenage in the Third Round of the FA Cup, but they have been performing well in the Premier League with an unbeaten streak of 4 games and a win in 3 of those matches. The team has also won 3 of their last 5 home Premier League games, with a recent 2-1 victory against Leeds United in mid-January. With a two-week break between games, players Ludwig Augustinsson, Lucas Digne, and John McGinn are expected to return and overcome their injury problems.
Aston Villa Last 5 Results
✅ 21/01/23. 16:00 Southampton – Aston Villa 0 : 1 (0 : 0) (0 : 1) Premier League
✅ 13/01/23. 21:00 Aston Villa – Leeds United 2 : 1 (1 : 0) (1 : 1) Premier League
❌ 08/01/23. 17:30 Aston Villa – Stevenage 1 : 2 (1 : 0) (0 : 2) FA Cup
➖ 04/01/23. 21:00 Aston Villa – Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 : 1 (0 : 1) (1 : 0) Premier League
✅ 01/01/23. 15:00 Tottenham Hotspur – Aston Villa 0 : 2 (0 : 0) (0 : 2) Premier League
Leicester City
Brendan Rodgers and Leicester City have been successful in navigating through the FA Cup rounds and are now heavy favourites to reach the quarter-finals. The manager must now focus on carrying this momentum into the Premier League to help the team move away from the bottom three and the potential danger of relegation.
Leicester City’s recent form has seen them fall back to 14th place in the Premier League table and they are only one point ahead of Bournemouth who are in the relegation zone. The team has a poor record away from home with a 3-0-7 record, having scored 17 goals and conceded 23 in those games. The team will face a tough challenge in the upcoming Midlands derby.
Leicester City have won their recent cup ties against Gillingham and Walsall, but they suffered a losing streak of 4 consecutive Premier League games before drawing with Brighton a few weeks ago. While they have won cup ties at lower league grounds, the team lost their last 2 away Premier League games at Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Players Wilfred Ndidi and Ayoze Perez are hopeful to be available for the upcoming game, but Jonny Evans and Jamie Vardy will not return until later in the month.
Leicester City Last 5 Results
✅ 28/01/23. 13:30 Walsall – Leicester City 0 : 1 (0 : 0) (0 : 1) FA Cup
➖ 21/01/23. 16:00 Leicester City – Brighton and Hove Albion 2 : 2 (1 : 1) (1 : 1) Premier League
❌ 14/01/23. 16:00 Nottingham Forest – Leicester City 2 : 0 (0 : 0) (2 : 0) Premier League
❌ 10/01/23. 21:00 Newcastle United – Leicester City 2 : 0 (0 : 0) (2 : 0) League Cup
✅ 07/01/23. 13:30 Gillingham – Leicester City 0 : 1 (0 : 0) (0 : 1) FA Cup
Head to Head
Aston Villa earned four points against Leicester City in the Premier League last season, with a 2-1 win over them at Villa Park being one of the highlights. The last 4 matches between these teams at Villa Park have resulted in 2 wins for each club.
Premier League
23/04/22, 16:00 Leicester City – Aston Villa 0 : 0 (0 : 0) (0 : 0)
05/12/21, 17:30 Aston Villa – Leicester City 2 : 1 (1 : 1) (1 : 0)
21/02/21, 15:05 Aston Villa – Leicester City 1 : 2 (0 : 2) (1 : 0)
18/10/20, 20:15 Leicester City – Aston Villa 0 : 1 (0 : 0) (0 : 1)
09/03/20, 21:00 Leicester City – Aston Villa 4 : 0 (1 : 0) (3 : 0)
TWV Sport Team Thoughts
Aston Villa and Leicester City, two clubs that have fallen short of expectations this season, will face each other for the first time in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign. Both teams will likely be feeling confident about their chances of securing a win and all three points. While Aston Villa have struggled in cup competitions this season, Leicester City have made it to the quarter-finals of the League Cup before losing to Newcastle United and appear poised to reach the same stage in the FA Cup.
Aston Villa has shown stronger consistency in the Premier League compared to Leicester City, which gives them a slight advantage at Villa Park on Saturday. Aston Villa are currently on a four-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League, having won three of those games. They have also won three of their last five Premier League home games. While Aston Villa have been scoring goals, their defense does have some weaknesses that Leicester City may be able to exploit. The return of James Maddison is a significant boost for Leicester City, as they have been a team that has consistently scored and conceded goals on the road throughout the season.
It could be an exciting game with both Aston Villa and Leicester City showing offensive potential and some defensive weaknesses. An early goal could set the tone and with both teams looking to win, goals at both ends and a high-scoring game could be expected.
Match Result Prediction
✅ Aston Villa to win.
Score Prediction
Aston Villa 3 – 2 Leicester City
