Preview:Leeds United vs Aston Villa - prediction, team news, lineups

On the verge of setting a new unwanted club record, Leeds United tackle Aston Villa at Elland Road in Sunday's Premier League showdown.

The Whites have failed to score in each of their last three home league games against the Lions, and Sunday could mark the first time in the hosts' history that they have drawn a blank in four successive home league matches against a single opponent.

Match preview

A return to home comforts is exactly what the doctor ordered for newly-promoted Leeds after two humbling away days just before the international break, in which the Whites shipped six goals while netting just one in back-to-back losses to Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest.

That solitary strike came at the Tricky Trees' City Ground base on November 9, when Lukas Nmecha momentarily put the Whites into the ascendancy, but Sean Dyche's revitalised troops came surging back through Ibrahim Sangare, Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson soon after.

Forest's comeback job condemned Daniel Farke's men to a fourth defeat from their last five Premier League matches, plunging Sunday's hosts down to 16th spot in the top-flight table, just one point better off than West Ham United in the drop zone.

Rearguard frailties continue to bedevil Leeds, who have now failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last eight games since holding Newcastle United to a goalless draw in August, and their record vs. top-half teams also makes for grim reading.

Indeed, not since October 2022 - a shock 2-1 win at Liverpool - have Leeds prevailed in a Premier League game against a side in the top 10 of the table; all of their last seven successes have come against clubs ranked 13th or lower.

Coincidentally - and eerily - October 2022 was the last time that Sunday's visitors were beaten by a newly-promoted team in the Premier League; they have since gone unbeaten in all 17 such matches in the division, winning 13 of them.

Aston Villa's early-season form was worthy of that of a side belonging in the bottom half of the division, but Unai Emery has overseen a remarkable resurgence in the West Midlands since the Lions' atrocious start to the campaign.

After failing to win any of their first five top-flight games of the season - netting just one goal in the process - the Villans have prevailed in five of their last six in the Premier League, the one aberration coming away to reigning champions Liverpool at the start of the month.

Emery's charges bounced back from that Anfield setback in the most emphatic way possible, decimating Bournemouth 4-0 in gameweek 11 to rise into the top six of the standings, only trailing third-placed Chelsea by two points.

Aston Villa now pit their wits against a side whom they have not been beaten by in the Premier League since October 2020 - going unbeaten in five straight head-to-heads since then - while May 2003 was the last time that the Whites overcame their Midlands counterparts at Elland Road in the top flight.

Leeds United Premier League form:

Aston Villa Premier League form:

Aston Villa form (all competitions):

Team News

None of Leeds' international representatives sustained blows during their country's matches, meaning that the Whites' only two fitness concerns for the visit of Villa are Sebastiaan Bornauw (knee) and Wilfried Gnonto (hip).

However, Farke declared in his pre-game press conference that he currently had no injuries debilitating his squad, so the duo are both looking good for selection on Sunday afternoon.

Farke has no need to make wholesale alterations after back-to-back defeats, but it would not be a surprise to see Pascal Struijk win his place back from Jaka Bijol in defence.

On the other hand, Aston Villa came out of the hiatus worse for wear, as Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash, Lamare Bogarde and Amadou Onana all sustained problems while representing their national teams.

All four are due to train on Saturday, though, and Emery affirmed on Friday that his only guaranteed absentee for the weekend is Tyrone Mings, who is expected to remain out until 2026 with a hamstring problem.

Emery's quotes suggest that Andres Garcia could be back in contention for the trip to Leeds, but Victor Lindelof should be used as an emergency right-back if necessary.

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Perri; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson; Stach, Ampadu, Longstaff; Aaronson, Nmecha, Okafor

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins

We say: Leeds United 1-3 Aston Villa

Expect at least one or two horror misses at Elland Road this Sunday, as Leeds and Aston Villa are statistically the Premier League's worst two teams when it comes to converting big chances this season.

However, the in-form Lions will surely take a handful of theirs against their defensively vulnerable hosts, whose three-year wait for a win over a top-half team is destined to go on.

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