LEICESTER'S incredible run of form under Brendan Rodgers shows no signs of stopping after they equalled a club record with a seventh successive top-flight win in midweek.
The Foxes were far from their flowing best against rock-bottom Watford but still got the job done, with a 2-0 victory keeping them eight points off leaders Liverpool.
That seventh win on the spin matched the club record set way back in 1963 and Rodgers' men now have the chance to surpass it when they head to Villa Park.
But only Liverpool and Bournemouth have beaten Villa at home this season so Leicester will need to be on top of their game to keep that incredible run going.
Jurgen Klopp's men needed two late goals to salvage that 2-1 victory and Villa eased to a 2-0 win over Newcastle in their last outing on home soil.
Recent head to head
These sides have only met five times in the last decade, with the clubs passing each other with promotions and relegations.
Home advantage has counted for a lot, with Villa unbeaten in Birmingham for three of those games and Leicester winning both times at the King Power.
Their last encounter ended in a 1-1 draw at Villa Park in January 2016 (below) during the Foxes' spectacular surge to the Premier League title. I could easily see a repeat of that scoreline here and it's available at a best 8/1 with BetVictor.
For the last away win in this fixture you have to go back to September 2007, when Leicester triumphed 1-0 in the Carling Cup.
Thriller or chiller?
There hasn't been a 0-0 stalemate in this fixture since August 2000, with the last 14 fixtures giving at least one set of fans something to cheer about.
There have been over 2.5 goals in 11 of Villa's last 12 games while both teams to score has come up in 10 of those matches. That was the case again in their midweek loss to Chelsea, an outcome predicted by our man Slips Tips.
Leicester have been more steady in defence, with last weekend's 2-1 win over Everton ending a run of three successive clean sheets.
I tipped a Foxes win with both teams to score that day and it came up, although I was made to sweat right until injury time, with VAR helping Kelechi Iheanacho's winner stand.
The Foxes have scored two or more in their last eight matches and will fancy their chances against a Villa defence that has kept just three clean sheets all season.
Both teams to score looks likely here at 8/13 with SportNation while over 1.5 Leicester goals is the same odds with Bet365.
How the bookies view it
Leicester have been so impressive under Rodgers that they are odds-on favourites here, their best price 81/100 with Marathonbet. But their run has to end at some time and I'll be backing the draw here at 16/5 with the same firm.
Villa's home form has been decent so a few punters might take a nibble at the home win, which is a generous 7/2 with most bookies.
Players to watch
Jamie Vardy's stunning run of form has seen him score in every one of Leicester's seven successive wins. He set a Premier League record by scoring in 11 games on the spin when the Foxes won the title and might now be thinking about matching that feat.
But the odds aren't great on Vardy keeping his run going here, with the striker a best 5/6 with Paddy Power for anytime scorer.
Foxes winger Harvey Barnes had caught my eye at 5/1 with Betfred as he could have scored a hat-trick in midweek.
But Rodgers has left him on the bench for this one so I will go with the safer Vardy option.
For Villa, Jack Grealish stands out at 11/2 with Bet365. The midfielder scored a stunner in the recent draw with Manchester United (below) and is in fine form.
Anything else catch the eye?
Leicester don't stick the boot in under Rodgers and there have been under 2.5 cards in three of their last four games. There were also only two cards in Villa's last home game against Newcastle. For that reason, I fancy under 3.5 cards here at 4/5 with Bet365.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Leicester City will be played on Dec 8, 2019 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Aston Villa vs Leicester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
