Aston Villa v Leeds preview: Villans welcome Whites to Midlands
Left embarrassed, the mid-table Premier League (PL) side will be desperate to bounce back with a positive result here against Leeds United who they are unbeaten against in each of the last four PL meetings (W2, D2), securing clean sheets in three of those contests.
Despite Sunday’s setback, the mood in the camp should still be good for Villa who have enjoyed life under manager Unai Emery so far.
Their only league loss under him came against Liverpool (W3, D1), while their three wins have come vs teams inside the top eight ahead of the round.
They were held to a 1-1 draw last time out against Leeds’ relegation rivals Wolves, which might give the Yorkshire outfit confidence.
That fixture at Villa Park was their fifth home game in succession that had produced a PL goal inside the opening 15 minutes.
Leeds would welcome one of those going their way in this visit, especially after an FA Cup nightmare of their own on Sunday when they needed two late goals to salvage a 2-2 draw away to struggling Championship side Cardiff City.
That result means Jesse Marsch’s side have now conceded 2+ goals in four of their last five competitive matches.
Coming into the game week two points clear of the relegation zone - albeit with a game in hand - it’s easy to see why Marsch is under growing scrutiny.
He’ll be hoping his team can tap into their good record at this venue to get a positive result, as Leeds have lost just one of their last six PL away games against Villa (W3, D2) and won the last Friday head-to-head held here, 3-0 back in October 2020.
Players to watch: Although being linked with a move away, Villa striker Danny Ings is in red-hot form with five goals in his last seven PL games. He’ll face key Leeds man Rodrigo who has scored 40 per cent (10/25) of their PL goals so far.
Hot stat: Villa have lost six of their last nine PL games on a Friday (W2, D1).
