Aston Villa vs Leicester City

Villa Park sets the stage for a high-stakes Premier League meeting between Aston Villa and Leicester City.

Aston Villa stuttered toward the end of the last calendar year, registering just one win in four Premier League matches (D1, L2). Villa’s defensive woes came to the fore in a 2-2 home draw against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out, leaving them at just two clean sheets in 24 top-flight outings. Against this backdrop, Unai Emery’s charges have developed a habit of getting a new calendar year off to an emphatic start, beginning the last two years with victories ‘to nil.’ Villa Park has been a stronghold this season, with the Lions only losing one of their ten home league fixtures (W5, D4) while netting 2+ goals in four of their last five. However, two goals weren’t enough for a point in their most recent home meeting with Leicester.

Indeed, Leicester thumped Villa 4-2 on their last visit to Birmingham, suggesting they could halt a dreadful four-game losing league streak on the road. That could prove easier said than done, considering they conceded at least three goals in all four defeats during that sequence while only netting two in return. Home and away, the Foxes have lost their last four Premier League games via multi-goal margins. As a result, they’re standing down the barrel of a five-game losing run while conceding 2+ goals in top-flight action for the first time since 2003! Perhaps the new year could help Ruud van Nistelrooy turn Leicester’s fortunes around, knowing the visitors have lost their opening outing of a calendar year just once since 2008 (W11, D4).