It is a battle of the erratic teams as Aston Villa host Leicester City in a Premier League fixture on Saturday.
Aston Villa are slowly getting their campaign back on track under Unai Emery and are unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches, claiming three wins in that run. They are well clear of the relegation zone and are actually pushing for a place in the top half.
The Villans were not in FA Cup action last weekend and head into Saturday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 victory at Southampton in their previous Premier League fixture. They were made to work hard by the Saints with Ollie Watkins’ effort midway through the second half proving the difference.
Home form is likely to be pivotal in Aston Villa’s push for a top half finish and have lost just once in their last five matches at Villa Park. There have been three wins in that run while they have only kept one clean sheet.
Leicester City continued their progress in the FA Cup as they claimed a 1-0 victory at Walsall in their fourth round fixture last weekend. They failed to properly exert their dominance over the League Two side with Kelechi Iheanacho’s effort midway through the second half proving the difference.
While the progress will be pleasing to manager Brendan Rodgers, the less than optimal display is typical of Leicester City’s Premier League campaign so far, particularly the lack of cutting edge in attack. They have lost four of their last five matches in the league and were held to a 2-2 home draw by Brighton in their previous fixture.
Leicester City have found things difficult on their travels this season and have suffered seven defeats in their last 10 away matches. They suffered a 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in their previous Premier League fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Aston Villa have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 21/20 by 10bet. A victory for Leicester City is valued at 14/5 with bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 13/5 by Unibet.
Head to head
Leicester City have a 37-30 advantage with 24 draws from 91 previous matches against Aston Villa. However, the Villans have won two of the last three fixtures at Villa Park, claiming a 2-1 victory in the most recent meeting in 2021.
Players to watch
Aston Villa have multiple goal threats but Ollie Watkins often leads the line and is their top scorer with four Premier League goals. The striker scored the only goal last time out at Southampton and is priced at 39/20 by Unibet to find the net on Saturday.
James Maddison made his return from injury at Walsall and will be a major boost to Leicester City. The midfielder remains the top scorer for the Foxes this season with seven Premier League goals and could be worth keeping an eye on to find the net at 9/2 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Aston Villa and Leicester City have struggled to maintain their discipline at the back this season and both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with Unibet. There were over 3.5 goals in the Foxes previous Premier League fixture and a repeat is priced at 23/10 with Paddy Power while over 2.5 goals is valued at 11/12 with 10bet.
Both teams often take a while to find their rhythm which means the second half could be tipped to produce the most goals at 11/10 Paddy Power.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Leicester City will be played on Feb 4, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. 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.
