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Two teams aiming to rebound from last weekend’s Premier League defeats will clash at the King Power Stadium on Saturday as Leicester City hosts Aston Villa.
The Foxes and the Lions meet for the first time since April 2023, when Aston Villa secured a 2-1 victory on Leicester’s home turf.
**Match Preview:**
After earning a point against Tottenham Hotspur in their Premier League return, Leicester City suffered a 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage against Fulham last weekend. Wout Faes headed in an equalizer to cancel out Emile Smith Rowe’s opener, but Alex Iwobi restored Fulham’s lead after halftime, and Leicester couldn’t find a second equalizer.
Leicester did bounce back midweek, advancing to the EFL Cup’s third round with a 4-0 victory over League Two side Tranmere Rovers. Goals from debutant Jordan Ayew, Stephy Mavididi, Wilfred Ndidi, and Harry Winks secured the first win of Steve Cooper’s tenure. Cooper praised his team’s “real dominance from start to finish” and hopes his blend of young talent and experienced players will continue to develop as they seek a positive run in the Premier League.
However, Cooper faces a challenge to avoid becoming the first Leicester manager since Paulo Sousa in 2010 to go winless in his first three league games. The Foxes have only won one of their last five home matches against Aston Villa.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, failed to build on their opening-weekend victory at West Ham United, falling 2-0 to Arsenal at Villa Park last Saturday. Ollie Watkins missed a crucial first-half opportunity and later saw a diving header saved by David Raya. Arsenal capitalized with goals from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey, handing Villa their first loss of the season.
Unai Emery acknowledged the defeat, noting that there is “still work to do” for his team to “learn and improve” as they prepare for a season that includes Champions League football. Emery aims for a top-six finish in the Premier League but will need to address defensive issues, as Villa has now gone seven consecutive league games without a clean sheet, conceding 15 goals.
Villa will be up against a Leicester side that has scored in 13 of their last 15 meetings. While Villa has only won seven of their last 28 Premier League encounters with Leicester, they have taken seven points from their last three visits to the King Power Stadium (W2 D1), having won just one of their first 11 visits (W1 D4 L6).
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