Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
Leicester City experienced the thrill of victory after their League Cup match, but facing a superior Aston Villa will be exponentially more challenging. Do they have the resources for this?
Leicester City
The Foxes are performing at a level within their current capabilities. The club has brought in seven new players, but so far only forward Abdul Issahaku is making a significant impact and appears to be one of the best on the field. In the match against Aston Villa, he should also pose problems for them on the left side of defence and hinder the forward movement of attacking defender Lucas Digne. The home match against Tottenham was positive in that they managed to equalise with few opportunities, although their opponents dominated the field (70% possession and 15 shots on goal). Even against an average Fulham, there were defensive issues, conceding 18 shots on target. Now, facing a future Champions League participant, it will be incredibly difficult to defend their goal.
Aston Villa
The hosts of the upcoming game are demonstrating high efficiency and even exceeding their potential (1 goal per match with 0.83 xG per match), whereas the Birmingham club has struggled (1 goal per match with 1.65 xG per match) due to several clear missed opportunities against Arsenal. They created 1.28 xG and should have scored at least one goal, but poor finishing and a brilliant save by the opposing goalkeeper let them down. The Villans also defeated West Ham (2:1), but in reality, they missed three clear chances, and their 2.46 xG speaks for itself. The team’s defence is far from perfect.
Leicester City - Aston Villa Prediction
In the 2022/23 season, their encounters were high-scoring. They exchanged away wins (4:2, 2:1). In four of their last five matches, more than three goals were scored collectively by both sides. So, we are convinced that the high-scoring trend will continue.
