Preview: Aston Villa vs. Leicester City - prediction, team news, lineups

Brendan Rodgers's men edged Walsall 1-0 in their FA Cup fourth-round battle last time out, while Unai Emery's side most recently overcame Southampton 1-0 in the top flight.

Match preview

Due to their FA Cup giant killing at the hands of Stevenage, Aston Villa have enjoyed a two-week break to rest and recuperate from their long trip to St Mary's, where a drone flying over the stadium interrupted play before Emery's men notched the all-important goal.

An Ollie Watkins header was all it took for the Lions to come away from the contest with all three points, although Southampton fans made their feeling towards referee Michael Salisbury clear after a James Ward-Prowse effort was ruled out, with Mohamed Elyounoussi adjudged to have fouled Jacob Ramsey in the build-up.

Surviving that scare on the South Coast, Aston Villa - whose January window left a lot to be desired - return to base occupying 11th place in the table, with the chance to move above Chelsea and Liverpool - who are both one point better off - depending on how the two faltering giants perform this weekend.

Failure to bring in another senior striker after Danny Ings's departure will not aid Villa's bid for a top-half finish, but Emery's side have been a force to be reckoned with under the ex-Arsenal boss, now unbeaten in four Premier League games and taking 10 points in that time.

Emery has overseen an eye-catching five wins from his seven Premier League matches in charge of Aston Villa, who have both scored and conceded in each of their last four top-flight games at Villa Park, and it would not be a complete shock to see that streak extended here.

Not for the first time in this year's FA Cup, Kelechi Iheanacho had to bail Leicester out against lower-tier opposition, as Rodgers's men squeaked by Walsall into round five courtesy of a one-goal success.

Having come up with the only goal of the game against Gillingham in the third round, Iheanacho came off the bench to break Walsall hearts in the 68th minute, having witnessed Youri Tielemans miss a penalty earlier in the second half.

There were not many positives to take from that one-goal win, but Leicester were good value for a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion in their most recent Premier League contest, only being denied all three points by a late Evan Ferguson header at the King Power.

With 20 games now done and dusted in the current Premier League season, Leicester's paltry tally of 18 points sees them occupy 14th place in the rankings - just one point better off than 18th-placed Bournemouth - and they travel to Villa Park having gone five games without a win in the top flight.

Leicester and Villa played out an uneventful goalless draw in April's showdown at the King Power, but Emery's side edged the most recent Villa Park contest 2-1 in December 2021, with both home goals coming from an unlikely source in Ezri Konsa.

Aston Villa Premier League form:

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Leicester City Premier League form:

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Team News

Aston Villa manager Emery has expressed optimism over John McGinn's chances of recovering from a thigh injury in time for Saturday, but Lucas Digne, Diego Carlos and Jed Steer all remain sidelined.

New signing Alex Moreno will continue at left-back as Digne recovers from a shoulder problem, while McGinn may have to make do with a place on the bench if he is given the thumbs up from the medical team.

Emery will surely see no need to make any changes to a winning team after a two-week break, with the veteran Ashley Young holding his place at right-back over Matty Cash.

As for Leicester, Rodgers could hand debuts to new signings Tete and Harry Souttar, having already brought Danish left-back Victor Kristiansen off the bench for his maiden appearance at Walsall.

A lengthy injury list for Leicester still includes James Justin, Jonny Evans, Ryan Bertrand, Jamie Vardy, Boubakary Soumare and Ricardo Pereira, but there is hope that Wilfred Ndidi will be able to return to the squad for Saturday.

Rodgers has remained reluctant to throw Iheanacho in from the first whistle this season, but the FA Cup hero will surely be considered for a starting role in the number nine place over Patson Daka this time around.

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Young, Konsa, Mings, Moreno; Ramsey, Kamara, Luiz; Buendia, Watkins, Bailey

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Ward; Castagne, Amartey, Faes, Kristiansen; Tielemans, Praet; Maddison, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes; Iheanacho

We say: Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester City

Whether the high-scoring draw with Brighton and FA Cup win over Walsall is a catalyst for improved fortunes for Leicester remains to be seen, but Rodgers's side should not be expected to end their winless run at Villa Park.

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