Aston Villa play host to Leicester City at the Villa Park in round 15 of the English Premier League. Both teams are yet to find their last season form and have struggled to find points this season.
Steven Gerrard suffered his first defeat as Aston Villa manager, after his side lost 1-2 against Manchester City. This was their eighth defeat this season, and they have managed to earn 16 points in the other six games.
So far this season, Aston Villa have scored 19 goals and conceded 23. The expected goal rate of the team is 15.1 this season. Against Manchester City, Villa players attempted nine shots and had two shots on target. Ollie Watkins attempted one shot in the match and scored the only goal for Aston Villa. Villa created more threat in the second half and their expected goal timeline shows a significant increase in the second half.
Leon Bailey’s injury in the previous game means that he becomes another injury concern for Steven Gerrard, who is now left with fewer attacking options. With Danny Ings out, and Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet nearing returns, the manager will expect more from the likes of Emi Buendia and others to contribute more towards scoring goals.
Leicester City played a 2-2 draw in the last match against Southampton. The Foxes have now won five, drawn four and lost five matches. Their goal-scoring tally is now 22 for the season.
The Foxes played a four-goal thriller at the St. Mary’s Stadium and shared a point with the Saints. They showed some attacking display, and the xG rate of the team was 2.04. A total of 14 passes were attempted inside the opposition’s penalty box and had a 50% success rate. Jamie Vardy was unable to get on the scoresheet, but he was the most threatening player in front of the goal. The forward attempted three shots and had the highest xG in the match.
Leicester City’s leaky defense is a concern for the manager. The Foxes have conceded 25 goals and have the third-worst defense in the premier league. They have conceded more than one goal on ten occasions and haven’t kept a clean sheet since the opening day fixture.
Leicester City don’t have any new injury concerns, and the manager will look to make one or two changes in the starting XI. Jamie Vardy is their top goalscorer with nine goals. James Maddison has now scored in the previous two games and is starting to gain some form.
Both teams are in desperate need of three points after dropping a lot of points this season. Aston Villa will have home advantage over a defensively poor Leicester City, and they will look to earn their third victory under Steven Gerrard. Brendan Rodgers will hope that his side keeps a clean sheet and comes away with all three points.
