Leicester City vs Aston Villa FC, English Premier League 2024-25, Today Match Prediction

Leicester City vs Aston Villa FC Match Prediction & Analysis

In the third round of the English Premier League 2024–25 season, Leicester City will take on Aston Villa at the King Power Stadium in Leicester. 

After drawing at home against Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City suffered a 1-2 defeat away to Fulham. The Foxes' consolation goal was scored by defender Wout Faes.  However, ahead of their weekend match, the Foxes got the opportunity to thump a team elsewhere as they thrashed Tranmere 4-0 in the EFL Cup match. 

In contrast, Aston Villa suffered their first defeat of the season at home, losing 0-2 to Arsenal. Meanwhile, they won their first game against West Ham 2-1, allowing them to earn complete points. 

Head to Head Record - Leicester City has a more favorable head-to-head record against Aston Villa, winning 11 out of 28 matches.

Current Standings - Aston Villa is now 12th in the points table following their win, while Leicester City is 15th.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Leicester City Preview

After a promising performance against Tottenham Hotspurs in week one, the Foxes are back at square one after suffering their first loss of the season. The setback to Fulham, who were just promoted from the second division, could serve as a wake-up call for Steve Cooper and his team. There are clearly several aspects of the game that the Foxes need to focus on ahead of their crucial match against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Improving their efficiency in the final third will be one of the areas they must focus on. Against Fulham, they were below par in the final third compared to the Tottenham game, as their pass percentage went down to 51% from 61%. The second area that needs attention is the non-existence of attacking options in the left flank. 

In both the matches, Bobby Decordova-Reid was tasked with reins on the left flank; unfortunately, he is more of a number 10 than a winger. And that brings us to our next problem: formation.  

Cooper may lack quality in several areas as compared to other teams, but he does have decent wingers on the bench, such as Jordan Ayew and Mavididi. In fact, Mavididi was the Foxes' second-highest goal scorer in the 2023/24 season, with 12 goals and 6 assists. Given what happened last week, we expect Cooper to line up his team in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Mavididi starting in place of Reid.

Leicester City Starting Lineup -  Hermansen (Goalkeeper); Justin, Vestergaard, Faes, Kristiansen (Defenders); Winks, Ndidi,Buonanotte (Midfielders); Fatawu, Vardy, Mavididi (Forwards) 

Aston Villa FC Preview

Aston Villa are currently 12th in the points table following their loss at home to Arsenal. The game against Arsenal may have ended on a sad note, but Villa should have gone away with some points if not for David Raya's saves, the goalpost, and an out-of-sorts Watkins.  

An out of sorts Watkins is a concern for Unai Emery going forward, as forward was the MVP of last season with 19 goals and 13 goals. So far, he has none. Yet, they have been offensively good, thanks to the emergence of Morgan Rogers, who has been lively up front, providing a potent threat to opposition defences through his powerful ball-carrying and innovative work in the final third. However, defensively, they have struggled. 

After the first round of games, Villa's xGA of 4.22 is the fourth lowest in the league. A team hoping to dethrone the top three must enhance its defensive performance. Unfortunately for the team, full-back Matty Cash's injury has only exacerbated their problems. 

With only 18-year-old Kosta Nedeljkovic to draw on, Villa may need to go to the transfer market to address these issues, especially given their lack of cover at both right-back and centre-back positions. This might have a significant impact on how their season plays out, especially if injuries continue to plague them.

 With no other option available, Nedeljkovic will likely replace Cash in the XI in a 4-4-2 formation. 

Aston Villa Starting Lineup -  Martínez (Goalkeeper); Nedeljković, Konsa, Torres, Digne (Defenders); Onana, Tielemans, Bailey, Rogers, McGinn (Midfielders).; Watkins.

LEICESTER CITY vs ASTON VILLA FC
Winning Prediction

Despite defensive concerns, Aston Villa's talented squad should be able to overcome Leicester City on Saturday. In their last five meetings, Villa has won twice, lost once, and drawn once. However, Leicester could benefit from Villa's recent away form, with seven defeats in their last ten matches. We predict a victory for Aston Villa.

Aston Villa to Win (2-0)

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