Aston Villa vs Leicester prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2025-01-03 15:00.
[p]Aston Villa will be hoping that 2025 begins in a better fashion than 2024 ended, after a run of one win in four Premier League games (D1, L2) culminated in a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday. Those results have seen Villa drop out of the European places, which they are one point adrift of as they start January in ninth place.[/p]
[p]One of manager Unai Emery’s New Year’s resolutions will no doubt be to tighten up his side’s leaky defence, which has kept just two clean sheets in their last 24 Premier League matches. Perhaps the turn of the calendar can aid the Villans in that endeavour, considering that they’ve begun the last two years with a win accompanied by a shutout.[/p]
[p]Their upcoming visitors Leicester City will be even more desperate for a victory, as since Ruud van Nistelrooy’s tenure began with a promising win and a draw, they’ve suffered four successive defeats to plummet into the relegation zone. All four of those losses have seen them concede 2+ goals, meaning that the Foxes are now at risk of losing five consecutive Premier League games while conceding at least twice for the first time since October 2003. [/p]
[p]Leicester fans will be more than glad to bring in the New Year, as it usually brings good fortune, since the East Midlanders have lost their opening game of a calendar year just once since 2008 (W11, D4)! Venturing to Villa Park also seems to improve Leicester’s chances of picking up points, having won on three of their last four league visits there.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Ollie Watkins’ penalty against Brighton means that his last three Villa goals have all come at home, while he’s either scored or assisted in his last three meetings with Leicester. In line to face his former club here, Leicester’s Jordan Ayew usually comes to life late on in matches, as three of his last four goals at club level have been scored past the 90th minute![/p]
[p]Hot stat: The same half-time result has been repeated at full-time in six of Villa’s last seven home league games.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Peter Stavrinou[/i][/p]