Aston Villa v Leicester: Foxes want revenge in the Midlands derby
On 21 February, Leicester City will be hosted by a high-flying Aston Villa. Join FoL as we explore how the Foxes can get revenge in a crucial match.
Very little can get Leicester City supporters angry. The Srivaddhanaprabha family have brought the East Midlands outfit from being little more than a yoyo team, in and out of the Championship and Premier League, and into a top English team with a plethora of talent all over the pitch. Not to mention an emphatic head coach in Brendan Rodgers.
What does get us angry though is when a subpar performance leads to an unnecessary loss. One such dismal performance was our previous match against Aston Villa, at the King Power Stadium. Lethargic, disorganised, and worst of all, not imposing. A 0-1 loss.
However, the Foxes have an opportunity to set the net points against ‘Villa to zero. An opportunity to get revenge. Away from home we can be lethal, imposing, physical, and energetic.
So, let us explore the form, stats and facts, and the key players to see who can win this match and either confirm a place in Europe, or push ever closer to a European spot.
Leicester City: wayward but no drop off
Leicester City last season fell off a cliff. There is not sugar coating the situation. From guaranteed top four, many points ahead, falling on the final day to fifth place. The King Power side may not be living up to the highs from early this season, but they have not fallen.
On an initial glance, the Foxes away have been clinical (Credit to Understat for most stats). Eight wins, three draws, and one loss. That only loss was to Liverpool FC at Anfield. However, those three draws came in the last five away matches, it was two wins in the last five.
This is no immense drop off. This is no cataclysm of a scale detrimental to our league position, but keeping the momentum of winning away is important if we want to have any chance of not falling out of European places.
The last Premier League match for Leicester was the 3-1 pumping of the ‘liver bird’ by the Fox at home. That was a sensational comeback. The East Midlands side was helped enormously by a man of the match performance from Wilfred Ndidi, getting an 8.0 sofascore rating. With an assist, five tackles, five clearances, and three blocks.
Check out some of the articles from other Foxes of Leicester contributors for player ratings, analysis, and a tactical breakdown of the performance. In my opinion, our best qualities were our centre-backs and our fullbacks, providing a defensive display we have not seen since the 5-1 pumping of Manchester City.
Aston Villa at home has been equally ‘fine’. Five wins, one draw, four losses. Their home matches account for both half of their wins, and half of their losses. Their last five home matches have three wins, one draw, and one loss. So, they are doing just fine, not great, but still fine.