Aston Villa travel to face Leicester at the King Power Stadium on Saturday, as they look to bounce back from defeat last time out.
Villa were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal last weekend, despite a positive performance which arguably merited a better result.
With a full week of preparations in the bank, expect to see Villa implement specific tactical adaptations, to address the strengths and weaknesses of the Foxes.
Last week, Villa boss Unai Emery asked Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey to make decoy runs and stretch the game, vacating space for Morgan Rogers to drive with the ball. It was a subtle yet significant change which led to Rogers' best performance in a Villa shirt to date.
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Opposition Analysis
Leicester have recruited eight new players over the summer transfer window, and manager Steve Cooper has experimented with a range of combinations during the early part of the season.
Three different formations have been utilised across their first three games this season, highlighting Cooper's willingness to chop and change his style.
Jamie Vardy's goal against Tottenham showed that he can still score in the Premier League, and former Villan Jordan Ayew is also a goalscoring threat, whether that be from the start of the game or off the bench.
Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen likes to play with a high level of risk when the ball's at his feet, so don’t be surprised if Villa’s high pressing front line of Watkins and Rogers force an in possession error from the Danish shot-stopper.
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Tactical set-ups
Villa's game-plan will be centred around patience and possession. Attacks will be built from the back-line, then threaded through the midfield to Villa’s runners - Rogers, Bailey, and John McGinn.
Cooper is known for his tactical variation, but does consistently ask for the deployment of long diagonal passes. Centre-backs Wout Faes and Jannik Vestergaard are likely to play these passes, putting pressure on Villa’s full-backs.
Serbian right-back Kosta Nedeljković is in line to replace the injured Matty Cash, but was beaten by a similar sort of pass in the build up to Arsenal’s second goal last week.
Another tactical point to look out for is the Leicester back-line’s tendency to drop into deep positions, with a focus on restricting the space behind them. This may actually play into Villa’s hands though, with Rogers in particular relishing the space which is likely to be left between the lines.
If the hosts drop into a deep block, it is expected that Emery will instruct Youri Tielemans to push on higher up in the Villa midfield, past his double pivot partner and compatriot Amadou Onana. Tielemans has frequently evidenced his ability to unlock deep defences, and ranks in the top 1% of midfielders for assists across the last year.
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Expectations
Leicester have shown resilience in their opening fixtures, frustrating Tottenham on the opening day and only narrowly falling to Fulham away from home. On the back of a confidence boosting 4-0 thumping of Tranmere in the Carabao Cup, they may fancy their chances of an upset.
However, Villa are certainly the side who most people will be expecting to take all three points, in what is their final fixture before the international break.
Fans will be hoping that Oliie Watkins will find his touch again after a slow start to the campaign. Else, Jhon Durán, who scored the winner on the opening day at West Ham, could prove to be the hero on the road once again.
Villa's bench is again set to be strong, with the likes of Ross Barkley, Jacob Ramsey, and Jaden Philogene also having the potential to swing the game in the visitors' favour.
Emery will be hoping for a more straightforward victory though, in contrast to the last time his side played at the King Power Stadium.
The jubilation of Bertrand Traore's last-gasp winner in April 2023 is surely something the travelling fans will both vividly recall, and be keen to experience again this time around.
