Aston Villa v Leicester Preview By Simon Mack !

Aston Villa vs Leicester

Sunday 8^th December 2019

2pm Villa Park

Leicester City can increase their gap on 3^rd place Manchester City to 6 points with a win against Aston Villa at Villa Park this afternoon.

The media have been talking about the title race by almost discounting the foxes in recent weeks despite the 7 match record breaking winning run, but city can become the only suitors to Liverpool’s clear lead in the lead tonight if a win in the West Midlands is secured.

Villa have had mixed fortunes since their return to the top flight floating around lower mid table to date, and with the Premier League so tight from 9^th place right down to 3^rd from bottom the festive campaign’s congested program might well sort the men from the boys as the sharper end of the season looms.

With 4 wins versus 8 defeats in their 15 games to date is villa want to rise above the battle to remain home games will need to become a better harvest of points for them. The last 4 games have brought a win and clean sheet at home to Newcastle, a credible draw at old Trafford and defeats against local rivals Wolves and Chelsea. Jack Grealish is the club’s top scorer so far this term with 5, and his 5 assists to boot make him the most influential attacking player amongst villa’s ranks.

Frederic Guilbert will return for the hosts having served a 1 match ban and Anwar El Ghazi should return too having recovered from a knee problem. Douglas Luiz and Bjorn Engels are close to full availability and might find themselves around the match squad to.

For Leicester City the record breaking run continues whilst all talk of Brendan Rodgers being tempted to pastures new have been finally fully quashed by the Northern Irish gaffer signing a new long term deal that would keep him at King Power Stadium until 2015.

Last time out the foxes were missing English international full back Ben Chilwell with a hip problem but it’s reported he could well be back in the match squad today. In addition Demari Gray’s superb cameos from the bench might be set for a comeback as he is reported to have recovered from a virus.

City toiled against manager less Watford in their last match midweek, and despite the hornets defensive low press making it hard for the foxes to break their visitors down Brendan Rodgers alluded to some fatigue amongst the core of his squad which with the festive fixture period coming might temp the Leicester boss to freshen things up for this local midlands match up.

Aston Villa possible line up: Heaton, Guilbert, Engels, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Luiz, Hourihane, El Ghazi, Wesley, Grealish

Leicester City possible lineup: Schmeichel, Ricardo, Evans, Soyuncu, Chilwell, Ndidi, Barnes, Maddison, Praet, Perez, Vardy