Although it was disappointing to suffer defeat against Arsenal last weekend at Villa Park, few will have walked away too dispirited.
It was a good display from a Villa side that, despite PSR-restricted summer transfer activity, is developing very nicely indeed.
Former Everton midfielder Onana continues to impress, catching the eye as much for his impressive interplay as his sheer physical presence. Torres and Konsa seem a solid centre-back pairing too, evidenced by both receiving call-ups to Spain and England respectively.
Digne, Tielemans and particularly the eye catching form of Morgan Rogers provide huge cause for optimism.
There are of course some head-scratchers, but that’s football.
Ollie Watkins will want to put two poor misses against the Gunners behind him. Our top marksman has looked every bit like a player who’s arrived into the campaign after the rigours of a Euros and having missed a chunk of pre-season with it.
It would be good to see Watkins kick off his season at Leicester; he’s now 7 games without a goal.
Matty Cash looks set for around a month of the side-lines, exposing Villa’s lack of strength in depth at right-back. With Diego Carlos seemingly out of favour, expect to see Unai Emery put his faith in youngster Kosta Nedeljković for the foreseeable.
Our opponents have taken a point from their first two games, and despite having got promoted as Champions last season, are expected by many to struggle this term.
Leicester’s opening day draw against Spurs shouldn’t be dismissed, but a 2-1 defeat to Fulham last time out provides an insight into the frailties we should seek to expose. After the excitement of the Champions League draw on Thursday, it’s time to renew our focus on the task at hand.
Prediction
Leicester City 0-2 Aston Villa
Embed from Getty ImagesFYI: Leicester City
Leicester City Football Club, founded in 1884, is based in Leicester, England. Known as “The Foxes,” the club has a rich history in English football, though it spent much of its existence outside the top flight. Leicester’s home ground is the King Power Stadium, which they moved to in 2002 from Filbert Street, their home for over a century.
Leicester experienced fluctuating fortunes until their historic 2015-2016 Premier League season. Under manager Claudio Ranieri, the club defied 5000-1 odds to win the Premier League title, marking one of the greatest underdog stories in sports history. Key players like Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, and N’Golo Kanté played pivotal roles in this success.
The club has also enjoyed success in domestic cup competitions, winning the FA Cup for the first time in 2021 under manager Brendan Rodgers, after four previous final defeats. They have also won the League Cup three times, in 1964, 1997, and 2000.