Aston Villa vs Leicester City 08/12/19

8 December 2019

High-flying Leicester City head to Villa Park to take on an out-of-sorts Aston Villa, looking to continue piling pressure on the Premier League (PL) toppers Liverpool.

Having won just one of their previous six top-flight outings (W1, D1, L4), the hosts have slipped to 16th in the table and are currently only one point clear of the relegation zone. Interestingly, three of those defeats during that period have come against the top-five sides, and all have seen them lose by the exact 2-1 scoreline. The one consolation for the Villans is that they’ve suffered just one defeat in their last six PL home matches (W3, D2, L1), with all three of their wins in that sequence coming via the same 2-0 scoreline. But, the Lions’ leaky defense has broken down in four of their previous five competitive home games, conceding over 1.5 match goals twice across those games.

Meanwhile, the visitors are enjoying a purple patch and have now won seven consecutive PL matches, scoring at least two goals in each of those triumphs. Additionally, midweek’s 2-0 home victory over Watford now means that the Foxes have kept a blank sheet in five of their last six league outings. That’s a sharp contrast to their recent record at Villa Park, as they’ve failed to pick up a win in five of their last six competitive trips to Aston Villa (W1, D1, L4). Brendan Rodger’s men have established themselves as ‘second-half masters’ when playing on the road, as 11 of their total 17 PL away goals scored came after the break (64%).