ASTON VILLA have been the surprise package of the new Premier League season and it will be fascinating to see if they can make it five wins in a row when swashbuckling Leeds come calling.
After just dodging the drop last term, few people expected Villa to be the early pacesetters and nobody would have fancied them to dish out a 7-2 thrashing to champions Liverpool.
Dean Smith's men followed up that shock triumph with a battling 1-0 win at Leicester which showed they can grind out results as well as blow teams away.
Under Marcello Bielsa, Leeds just seem to settle for trying to outscore their opponents but they drew a rare blank last time out as Wolves claimed a 1-0 win at Elland Road.
It has still been an encouraging start for Leeds back in the top flight, taking seven points from five games, and they will no doubt try to take the game to Villa here.
They have suffered a big injury blow with Kalvin Phillips out for potentially six weeks and it will be interesting to see how Bielsa copes without such a key player.
How the bookies view it
Villa's fine form has made them favourites for this one at a best 11/8 with Unibet while Leeds seem a little overpriced at 2/1 with most firms. This is s really tough one to call but I wouldn't be too surprised to see a draw, which is 13/5 at Unibet.
Recent head to head
This is the first top-flight fixture between the clubs since way back in 2004 when Villa won 2-0 at home. The last six meetings have been in the Championship, with Leeds just having the edge, winning two, drawing three and losing one.
Their last game at Villa Park was a thriller with Kemar Roofe grabbing a late winner to seal a 3-2 triumph for Leeds in December 2018 (below).
Players to watch
I tipped Jack Grealish for a goal against Leicester but it was another England midfielder, Ross Barkley, who fired home their winner. For this one, I'm going to switch to striker Ollie Watkins who hit a treble against Liverpool in the last game at Villa Park. He's 24/13 with SportNation for anytime scorer and that looks pretty good value.
Leeds winger Helder Costa is 9/2 for a goal with 888Sport and that also appeals after he netted twice in the 4-3 win over Fulham.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams to score looks the shout for Leeds games this term but the value isn't great here at a best 13/20 with Unibet. Over 2.5 match goals offers a bit more bang for your buck at 4/5 with Unibet so I'll go for that.
Both teams have players with a decent dig on them so I like the look of the 6/4 William Hill are offering on a goal being scored from outside the area.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Leeds United will be played on Oct 23, 2020 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Aston Villa vs Leeds United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
