Leicester City vs Aston Villa. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more

Leicester City FC will host Aston Villa FC in the English Premier League 7th-tour match at King Power Stadium. The fixture will take place on Wednesday,  April 5, beginning at 00:15 IST.

What can we expect this Wednesday night? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Leicester City News & Current Form:

The nerves of Leicester’s management proved to be very durable, but even they have failed to sustain the team’s performance in this league. After the home fiasco in the game against Crystal Palace, Brendan Rodgers stepped down as head coach, eventually allowing all the failures of the season to be pinned on the coach, thereby keeping the hope of a bright future alive.

The club announced the termination of the contract with the 50-year-old coach from Northern Ireland by mutual consent of the parties. The decision was taken after Leicester had lost six times and drawn in their last seven matches. The team, with 25 points, sit 19th in the Premier League table and are in the relegation zone. Rodgers has coached the Foxes since 2019. He won the Emirates FA Cup and FA Community Shield with the club in 2021.

Top scorer of Leicester City – James Maddison

Since then, the team has stagnated in the attacking aspect. In the last 13 official games, the players have scored only 14 goals and left the field six times without a result in the opponents’ goal. Hideous form of Jamie Vardy and poor play from James Maddison were the root cause. There are no signs of a positive trend emerging for the team, and the team is clearly out of form.

Foxes have lost four times in the last five meetings of the national championship. After a 1 – 1 draw against Brentford FC, Leicester lost on the road to Crystal Palace FC (1 – 2), conceding the decisive goal in the 94th minute.

Despite overcoming ankle concerns, Leicester City had to face Crystal Palace without key players Dennis Praet (dead leg) and Jonny Evans (thigh) in their final game under manager Brendan Rodgers. Although Evans has returned to team training and could make a comeback soon, Youri Tielemans (ankle), James Justin (knee), and Ryan Bertrand (knee) remain sidelined. Additionally, Jannik Vestergaard was left out of the squad after expressing frustration over his lack of playing time.

Leicester City’s Portuguese midfielder, Ademola Lookman, made a strong case for a recall with a thunderbolt goal off the bench. Forward duo Kelechi Iheanacho and Daniel Amartey may also feature in the team as the coaching staff closely monitors the condition of Harry Souttar after his recent layoff.

Foxes full-back Ricardo Pereira after Crystal Palace game:

 “We have to go again. We have two games at home. Sometimes, when you are in this type of moment, it seems like everything is against you, but it is what it is. We have to move fast and switch focus. You cannot dwell on this Palace game.”

Aston Villa News & Current Form: 

Aston Villa have benefited from a coaching rotation. The experienced Unai Emery has lost only six times in 17 official matches at the helm of the club. Two games ended in draws and the Birmingham side won the remaining nine.

Such totals correspond to 41 points, which sealed the issue of a place in top division for next season. All this proves the immense coaching talent of Emery, who has managed to wake up his team and move closer to the Eurocup zone.

The Spanish coach has managed to stabilise the team’s game in defence and develop links in the attacking mechanism. Villa head into the upcoming meeting on a five-match winning streak, during which they scored 13 points from a possible 15. They are now in ninth place and have reduced their gap to two points from the Eurocup borders.

The Lions played with Chelsea FC last weekend, scoring two exceptional goals to put their opponents down in the standings (2 – 0). Villa levelled the scores with a stunning flick by Ollie Watkins over the head of Kepa Arrizabalaga in the 18th minute. Chelsea had a series of attacks but failed to hit the bar. Sensational strike from John McGinn from outside the box sealed the win for Emery’s charges.

Before that, there was an away draw with West Ham United FC (1 – 1) and then a 3 – 0 win with AFC Bournemouth. Watkins, the leader of the attack, is in optimum playing form. He is the first player in the club’s history to score in five consecutive Premier League away games with his sublime lob against Chelsea. The 27-year-old striker will undoubtedly lead the line with confidence as Villa looks to continue their impressive run of form.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has 100 appearances for Aston Villa

Aston Villa’s impressive form isn’t solely attributed to their attacking prowess; their defence has also become a reliable force, having conceded only one goal in their last 450 minutes of top-flight football. The Midlands club has won five out of their last seven away matches, with their only defeat coming at the hands of reigning champions, Manchester City FC.

Nonetheless, Villa will be put to the test in their upcoming fixture against Leicester City, who soundly beat them 4 – 2 just two months ago. But with Emery’s tactical expertise and the team’s recent stellar performances, the Foxes may have a serious challenge on their hands.

On the topic of ankle injuries, Boubacar Kamara made an unexpectedly fast recovery and returned to the pitch at Stamford Bridge. However, he was substituted after only 45 minutes, likely due to a combination of managing his workload and receiving a yellow card in the fourth minute.

Unfortunately, Matty Cash and Jed Steer are still out of contention due to calf injuries, and Philippe Coutinho will remain sidelined for a few more weeks with a thigh problem. Despite these setbacks, Emery has no other concerns for the upcoming match against Leicester City and is unlikely to make any changes to his winning lineup.

Leicester City form guide: L-L-L-L-D-L

Aston Villa form guide: L-W-W-D-W-W

Leicester City vs Aston Villa Head-To-Head Record: 

• March 9, 2020: Leicester City 4 – 0 Aston Villa (Premier League);
• October 18, 2020: Leicester City 0 – 1 Aston Villa (Premier League);
• February 21, 2021: Aston Villa 1  – 2 Leicester City (Premier League);
• December 5, 2021: Aston Villa 2 – 1 Leicester City (Premier League);
• April 23, 2022: Leicester City 0 – 0 Aston Villa (Premier League);
• February 4, 2023: Aston Villa 2 – 4 Leicester City (Premier League).

Leicester City vs Aston Villa Predicted XI:

Leicester City possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Iversen; Pereira, Amartey, Faes, Castagne; Soumare, Dewsbury-Hall; Tete, Maddison, Barnes; Iheanacho.

Aston Villa possible starting lineup (4-4-2): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Moreno; Ramsey, Kamara, Luiz, McGinn; Buendia, Watkins.

Statistical preview of the match Leicester City vs Aston Villa:

• Leicester’s First XI average age is 25.9 yrs.
• Villa’s First XI average age is 27.8 yrs.
• Leicester are unbeaten in 5 of their last 7 games against this side at home.
• Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last 5 games.
• Leicester are without a win in their last 7 games.
• Leicester are scoring an average of 0.80 goals per game in their last 5 games.
• In the last 5 games Leicester conceded on average 1.80 goals per game.
• Aston Villa conceded an average of 0.20 goals per game in the last 5 games .
• Aston Villa are scoring an average of 1.80 goals per game in their last 5 games.
• Leicester City’s average match total is 10.15 corners, while Aston Villa’s is 10.3.
• Leicester City are averaging 1.6 yellow cards per game, while Aston Villa are averaging 1.8.
• City’s top scorers are James Maddison (9+6), Harvey Barnes (9+3), and Kelechi Iheanacho (6+4). 
• Villa’s top scorers are Ollie Watkins (11+5), Danny Ings (7+2), and Leon Bailey (5+3).

What has been said before the match:

Chairman of Leicester Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha about the former coach and team’s objectives:

“The achievements of the team under Brendan’s management speak for themselves – we’ve experienced some of our finest footballing moments under his guidance and will always be grateful to him and his staff for the heights they helped us to reach on the pitch.”

“However, performances and results during the current season have been below our shared expectations. It had been our belief that continuity and stability would be key to correcting our course, particularly given our previous achievements under Brendan’s management. “

“Regrettably, the desired improvement has not been forthcoming and, with 10 games of the season remaining, the Board is compelled to take alternative action to protect our Premier League status.”

“The task ahead of us in our final 10 games is clear. We now need to come together – fans, players and staff – and show the poise, quality and fight to secure our position as a Premier League club.”

Coach Emery about the upcoming game with Leicester:

“We are not stopping. We are going to be very demanding to try and get three points, and to do better on Tuesday. It’s going to be a very good game. Leicester are at the bottom now but they’re playing at home. We have to rest and prepare well. We have a new objective now for our last matches in the Premier League and it’s in our hands now.”

Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn about his team’s recent achievements:

“It’s a tough place to come. Since I’ve been here at Villa, we’ve not won here, but we’ve always played pretty well. So, we were due one. We probably didn’t play as well as we could in the first half, but we scored a great goal, and could have scored a couple of others.”

“We’re running hard, we’re working hard, we’re sticking together as a team. And even in those bad moments, you don’t really feel anyone is going to let you down. And that’s an amazing feeling.”

“We’re on a brilliant run and you just never know what can happen.”

Leicester City vs Aston Villa Prediction:

The hosts are approaching the match in shaky form, having picked up just one point in their last six league outings. After losing to Crystal Palace in the last round, the Foxes have slipped down to the relegation zone. Moreover, the loss of their head coach is unlikely to have a positive impact on the performance and overall results for Leicester, although it could serve as an impetus to try and turn the tide in the remainder of the season. 

The Birmingham side, on the other hand, are looking to be in superb form. They outplayed Chelsea away at the weekend, with Emery’s side now going five rounds unbeaten – four wins and a draw. Here today, inspired visitors are poised to take full control of the game, keeping the cherished top-6 zone within reach. 

It’s also reasonable to expect some back-and-forth football with plenty of chances and goals. Leicester City are motivated from the standpoint of the tournament’s dire situation while they are used to being attacking in general. Villa, in turn, exploit free space well, although they are less than ideal defensively. In the first round, the opponents combined six goals. We expect something similar to happen this time too. 

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Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Aston Villa will not lose and the match total will be over 2.5 – Yes.