Matchday 20 of the Premier League sees Aston Villa take on Leicester on January 4 at Villa Park in Birmingham. Aston Villa vs. Leicester: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Jarred Gillett (Australia)
Matches – 25 (Premier League, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 118;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.7;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 24%.
Predicted lineups for Aston Villa vs. Leicester
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martinez – Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Ezri Konsa, Diego Carlos – Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara – Morgan Rogers, John McGinn, Leon Bailey – Ollie Watkins.
Leicester (4-2-3-1): Jakub Stolarczyk – Jannik Vestergaard, Conor Coady, Victor Kristiansen, James Justin – Harry Winks, Boubakary Soumaré – Stephy Mavididi, Bilal El Khannous, Facundo Buonanotte – Jamie Vardy.
The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match in this tournament.
Aston Villa
The Birmingham side ended last year with a 2-2 home draw against Brighton. Before that, they suffered a heavy 0-3 away defeat to Newcastle on Christmas. Notably, the club has secured just three wins in their last 11 Premier League matches (3 draws and 5 losses). Unai Emery's men sit 9th in the league table, trailing the top four by 6 points.
Forwards John Duran and Morgan Rogers will miss the match due to suspensions, while defenders Pau Torres and Diego Carlos are sidelined with injuries.
- At least three goals have been scored in 7 of Aston Villa's last 8 league matches.
- Both teams have scored in 11 of the last 14 home Premier League matches for the Birmingham side.
- The club has not won the second half in their last seven league matches (3 draws and 4 losses).
Leicester
In the previous round, the team lost 0-2 at home to Manchester City. This marked their fourth consecutive league defeat. Overall, Leicester has not won in five straight Premier League matches, which is their second such streak this season. Under Ruud van Nistelrooy, they have slipped into the relegation zone, trailing the safety of 17th place by two points. Additionally, they have conceded the most goals in the league, alongside Wolverhampton, with 42.
Midfielders Abdul Issahaku and Wilfred Ndidi, as well as defender Ricardo Pereira and goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, will miss the match due to injuries.
- Leicester has secured only one win in their last 11 Premier League matches (2 draws and 8 losses).
- At least three goals have been scored in 8 of the club's last 9 league matches.
- Leicester has not won the first half in their last seven league matches (2 draws and 5 losses).
Aston Villa vs. Leicester: Match Prediction
Ruud van Nistelrooy made a successful debut at Leicester, starting his tenure with a 3-1 win over West Ham. The second match was also decent, ending in a 2-2 draw with Brighton. However, the head coach soon faced the harsh realities of Leicester's situation, as his new team lost four consecutive Premier League matches with a combined score of 1:12. This losing streak is likely to continue in the upcoming match, as Aston Villa urgently needs points to rejoin the battle for a Champions League spot.
The Birmingham side performs excellently at Villa Park. In their last 15 home Premier League matches, they have only lost to Arsenal, securing 7 wins and 7 draws. During this series, the team has scored at least two goals 11 times. Considering Leicester concedes more than two goals on average per match, Aston Villa should comfortably score two or three goals against the visitors. The match is expected to be high-scoring, as at least three goals have been scored in 8 of Leicester's last 9 away matches in the current Premier League season. Additionally, although Leicester often scores on the road, they have only won one of their last 17 away league matches.
My prediction – Home win and Total over 2.5 goals
