MY ACCOUNT
– At least three goals have been scored in four of Aston Villa’s last five home Premier League games
– Leicester have conceded two or more goals in four of their last five away games in the league
– Recommended Bet: Over 2.5 goals
Leicester are likely to have more than one new signing on show when they take on Aston Villa in a Midlands derby at Villa Park on Saturday.
Leicester added Australian centre-back Harry Souttar and Brazilian winger Tete to Brendan Rodgers’ ranks as the manager attempts to steer the club away from the bottom six.
There has been little cause for optimism around the King Power Stadium of late, but the Foxes halted a four-game losing streak in the Premier League against Brighton a fortnight ago and will look to kick on from there.
Villa are harbouring European ambitions again after moving to within three points of the top six with a 1-0 away win over Southampton last time out.
And Rodgers says Villans boss Unai Emery was written off as Premier League manager far too soon as his body of work shows him to be an outstanding coach.
Team news
Villa are set for a double boost this weekend with midfielder John McGinn and left-back Lucas Digne both back in contention after respective hamstring and shoulder injuries.
January signing Jhon Duran is poised to make his Villa Park debut from off the bench against the Foxes.
The Colombian has not played competitively since October but should be ready to contribute after two weeks of training at Bodymoor Heath.
Bertrand Traore, who was recalled from a loan spell in Turkey on transfer deadline day, is currently nursing a knee injury, and Diego Carlos will return from his ruptured Achilles tendon injury later this month.
For Leicester, Rodgers could hand debut opportunities to Souttar, who will be assessed for a hip issue, and Tete.
The Brazilian winger was regularly featuring on loan for Lyon throughout the first half of January and looks likely to start on the right-hand side of the Foxes’ formation.
Wilfred Ndidi misses out for personal reasons, while Ayoze Perez and Marc Albrighton have left the club, the duo having joined Real Betis and West Bromwich Albion on loan, respectively.
This game may come too soon for Jamie Vardy, who has only just returned to the training pitch, or Ricardo Pereira, as he needs to play in a practice match before being considered for contention.
Midfielder Boubakary Soumare and defender Jonny Evans are expected to step up their recoveries by returning to training next week.
The stats
Villa have won five of their seven games in the Premier League under Emery and suffered only one defeat.
But the Villans have won only two of their past four Premier League games against Leicester.
Harvey Barnes has been directly involved in five goals in four Premier League starts against Villa (4 goals, 1 assist).
Prediction
Villa’s record of five wins in seven Premier League games under Emery is mightily impressive, but the two games they did not win were both at Villa Park.
They were punished for their sloppiness by Liverpool and penalised for their profligacy in a draw with Wolves. Emery’s side were also put under severe pressure by Leeds, who had three good chances to level late in Villa’s 2-1 home win last month.
Leicester will be lifted by the arrival of three new first-team stars and could cause enough problems to make this awkward for the hosts.
There should be a good chance of seeing a few goals, however, with Leicester conceding at least two goals in four of their last five road games in the league.
Villa should have scored a second against Wolves recently and did against Leeds, but are still seeking their first home clean sheet under Emery’s charge.
Back over 2.5 goals in the game at 17/20 with LiveScore Bet.
