Leicester City vs Aston Villa

King Power Stadium sets the stage for an East Midlands derby between familiar Premier League foes Leicester City and Aston Villa.

Fulham got the better of promoted Leicester 2-1 last weekend, adding to the fans’ skepticism following a gutsy 1-1 home draw against Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day. However, Steve Cooper’s side found a way back to the win column in midweek League Cup action, thrashing lower-league Tranmere 4-0 to set themselves up nicely for this fixture. The Foxes need every encouragement they can get in this Midlands derby, as they’ve only won once in their last four Premier League clashes against Aston Villa (D1, L2). Moreover, they’ve gone winless in three consecutive league H2Hs at the King Power Stadium (D1, L2) since a thumping 4-0 win in March 2020, netting just once in that sequence. That’s particularly ominous, considering they’ve registered only one clean sheet in their last 25 Premier League outings.

In the meantime, Aston Villa failed to build on a 2-1 day-on triumph at West Ham United as Arsenal conquered Villa Park last weekend, beating Unai Emery’s side 2-0. Despite that setback, the Lions are no strangers to taking points on the road, with only Arsenal and Manchester City claiming more away league points than Aston Villa since Emery’s appointment nearly two years ago. Worryingly for the visitors, their growing defensive woes have seen them concede in their last seven Premier League games, making up for their longest such run since December 2023. As if that’s not concerning enough, they’ve suffered three defeats across their last five league travels (W2), casting more doubt on their hopes of racking up back-to-back away wins against Leicester in league action for the first time in the 21st century.