Aston Villa vs Leicester prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-02-03 15:00.
The surge under new manager Unai Emery continues for Aston Villa, who beat Southampton 1-0 away from home last time out to seal their fifth PL victory under his guidance (D1, L1). Only league-leaders Arsenal have picked up more points from their last seven league contests, and another win could even see them leap above the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool and into the top half.
The two league games the Villans have failed to win under Emery’s tenure have been at home, so he’ll want to turn Villa Park into a fortress to successfully navigate the second half of the season. What effect selling seasoned striker Danny Ings will have is unknown however, as they now prepare to welcome Leicester City for a fixture that’s seen both sides score in the last seven consecutive meetings here (W4, D1, L2).
If Villa’s stock is rising, the Foxes’ is falling off a cliff, with no team losing more PL games or picking up fewer points since the World Cup restart ahead of the round (D1, L4). A 1-0 FA Cup victory over Walsall might have soothed anxious fans but with star striker Jamie Vardy now facing a spell on the sidelines, avoiding a third-straight league away defeat may have just become tougher.
In fact no team has lost more than their seven league away games ahead of the round and another poor start here could spell trouble as Leicester have avoided a PL defeat just once after conceding first since May last year (D1, L7). Expect the Foxes to offer some bite even in Vardy’s absence however, as they’ve failed to score in just one of their last 16 PL away games, though that did arrive in their last away outing in a 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Players to watch: Villa will hope Ollie Watkins can fire them to victory again, as he’s contributed to 40 PL goals for Villa (G29, A11), which is more than double any other player since his arrival. This could be a battle of the hitmen then, as Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho has scored in two of his last four away outings.
Hot stat: Leicester are one of only two PL teams yet to record an away draw (W3, L7).