Aston Villa forward Leon Bailey will be out for "a number of weeks"; Leicester's Youri Tielemans and James Justin have resumed training; follow Villa vs Leicester in our dedicated live match blog and watch live on Super Sunday on Sky Sports Premier League from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm.
Sunday 5 December 2021 16:26, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Aston Villa vs Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm.
Aston Villa have been dealt an injury blow ahead of their home game against Leicester with the news that Leon Bailey will be out for "a number of weeks".
The 24-year-old forward, signed from Bayer Leverkusen this summer for a reported fee of £30m, hobbled off with what looked like a thigh problem during the 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday night. Scans have revealed damage to a quad muscle and boss Steven Gerrard has said Bailey will not be back before Christmas.
An unspecified injury has kept Danny Ings out recently but the striker is nearing a return and a decision will be made on his fitness on Saturday.
Leicester's Youri Tielemans (calf) and James Justin have both resumed training, but Sunday's match may come too soon for the duo.
James Maddison is being treated for a glute issue following the midweek draw at Southampton but the midfielder is expected to be fit.
Ricardo Pereira (hamstring) and long-term absentee Wesley Fofana remain out.
Follow Aston Villa vs Leicester in our dedicated live match blog and watch live on Super Sunday on Sky Sports Premier League from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm.
Download the Sky Sports Scores App: Apple | Android
It's really difficult to seriously fancy Leicester in any Premier League match given the way Brendan Rodgers is seemingly neglecting their huge defensive issues. They rank near the bottom in all the main defensive categories. Only Newcastle have faced more shots (227) and only Norwich have faced more shots on target (75). They have not kept a clean sheet in their last 13 Premier League games, conceding 25 goals during that period. It's a run which is their longest without a clean sheet since 2002.
Such abysmal numbers are putting a huge amount of pressure on the Leicester attack to score at least two goals to get a result in a match. And, judging by what we've seen from Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa at the back, they will make it very tough for Jamie Vardy and co.
Set-pieces look an area of strength under Gerrard - and an obvious negative for Leicester. Another failure to defend a corner at Southampton resulted in their seventh goal being shipped via that route this season. In Tyrone Mings, Villa possess a player with great authority and presence in the opposition area. And more importantly, his prowess isn't really mirrored in the market. He's had six efforts on goal since Gerrard took over, scoring in the 2-0 win over Brighton. All his shots and goals prices are worth a look, but the standout is the 11/2 with Sky Bet for him to have a headed shot on target.
SCORE PREDICTION: 2-1
BETTING ANGLE: Tyrone Mings to have a headed shot on target (11/2 with Sky Bet)
Peter Smith is joined by Sky Sports News Midlands reporter Rob Dorsett, features writer Nick Wright and football journalist Oliver Yew to look ahead to the Premier League weekend.
PART 1 | Rob Dorsett discusses Steven Gerrard's impact at Aston Villa, the club's ambitious plans, and the reasons behind Leicester's underwhelming start to the season.
PART 2 | Nick Wright assesses the problems facing Rafa Benitez at Everton and what Mikel Arteta must do to get a misfiring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back in form.
PART 3 | Oliver Yew reflects on Bernardo Silva's brilliant performances for Manchester City, the strength in depth at Pep Guardiola's disposal, and whether there's a chance of an upset at Watford.
