Aston Villa vs Leeds United

Aston Villa’s bid to claim a top-half Premier League finish for the first time since 2010 continues this weekend against bottom-half strugglers Leeds United at Villa Park.

League Two outfit Stevenage stunned Aston Villa in last weekend’s FA Cup action, scoring twice beyond the 85th minute to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory. Left with a point to prove, Unai Emery’s men will be out to build on their decent five-game Premier League form under the Spanish manager (W3, D1, L1). But since dispatching Manchester United 3-1 on his touchline debut in England’s top flight, Emery has failed to win his next two Premier League home matches (D1, L1), with his side conceding the opener with 15 minutes on each occasion. On a more positive note, the ‘Lions’ haven’t lost any of their last four Premier League encounters against Leeds (W2, D2), registering three clean sheets in this run.

In the meantime, Leeds United had to haul back a two-goal deficit to hold Championship side Cardiff City to a 2-2 FA Cup draw and secure a replay last weekend as Jesse Marsch’s nightmarish tenure suffered another setback. Back to the Premier League, where they’ve gone unbeaten in four straight matches (D2, L2) since a come-from-behind 4-3 win over Bournemouth in early November, the ‘Whites’ cannot afford another slip-up. With only two points separating them from 18th-placed Everton, the visitors are desperate to defy their underwhelming Premier League away record this season (W1, D2, L5). However, after keeping just one clean sheet across their eight league travels, their hopes of getting back on track look far-fetched.