BOTH Aston Villa and Leeds United will be looking to return to winning ways when the pair face off in the Premier League on Friday night.
Unai Emery has enjoyed a solid start to life in the Villa Park hosteat, having steered his side to three wins and a draw across his opening five top-flight fixtures at the helm.
That points haul has dragged the Villains up to 11th spot in the Premier League table and they will be keen to continue their climb up the standings when Leeds United come calling.
Furthermore, the new Villa chief will also demand a response from his side after League Two Stevenage pulled off a sensational FA Cup shock by producing a late show to stun Aston Villa in the FA Cup last Sunday.
As for Leeds, they have earned back-to-back draws with Newcastle and West Ham in their last two league games to move two points above the relegation zone.
Last time out, the Whites, like Villa, were also given an FA Cup scare, as they had to fight back from two goals down to earn a replay against Cardiff.
Outright Betting
Aston Villa, who have avoided defeat in three of their last four Premier League home games, head into this Friday night fixture as 10/11 (Bet 365) favourites.
Last year's corresponding fixture ended all square but the same outcome here is an unfancied 13/5 (PaddyPower) while a Leeds United victory is as big as 3/1 (Bet 365).
Betting Angles
Aston Villa will be hoping to take another step in the right direction here, but rather than siding with them in the outright betting, I'll instead back the hosts to hit two or more team goals at 17/20 (William Hill).
Admittedly, Aston Villa are not a team that you would tend to associate with goals, but they have upped their attacking output under new boss Unai Emery.
Almost 50% (nine) of Aston Villa's 20 Premier League goals this season have been scored across their last five games, with the Villains' striking twice against some notable opposition in the shape of Manchester United, Brighton and Tottenham.
That doesn't augur well for a Leeds United side that have failed to post a clean sheet in 14 of their 17 top-flight outings this term to date, including seven of their eight road trips.
What's more, Jesse Marsch's men have shipped two or more goals in four of their last five league games, as well as five of their eight encounters outside of Elland Road thus far.
With all this in mind, coupled with the fact that Aston Villa have been on an upward curve of late, backing the home team to score twice on Friday night makes appeal at 17/20 (William Hill).
I'll also dip into the anytime goalscorer market and have a small play on Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa to get on the scoresheet at 12/1 with Bet 365.
Only five Premier League teams have leaked goals more often from set pieces than Leeds this season, so the Aston Villa centre-half looks worthy of some loose change to capitalise on that aerial vulnerability at Villa Park on Friday night.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Leeds United will be played on Jan 13, 2023 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.
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