Aston Villa v Leicester: EFL Cup semi-final second-leg prediction and free tip

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Aston Villa v Leicester City in an EFL Cup semi-final second leg.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Football – 7.45pm Tuesday

Best bet

Leicester & both teams to score
1pt 11-5 Betfred

Team news

Aston Villa
Danny Drinkwater is cup-tied and John McGinn (ankle), Jed Steer (Achilles), Keinan Davis (hamstring), Tom Heaton and Wesley (both knee) are injured.

Leicester
Jamie Vardy (gluteal muscle) is expected to play some part but Nampalys Mendy and Wes Morgan are unavailable.

Match preview

Brendan Rodgers has been Leicester manager for just 11 months but his team look ready to contend for major prizes and they can reach the EFL Cup final by defeating Aston Villa at Villa Park.

The tie is fascinatingly balanced after a 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium which was a great result for Villa, who lost the shot count 21 to three.

In the post-match interview Villa boss Dean Smith admitted Leicester had been the better team.

Leicester were also dominant when the clubs locked horns at Villa Park in December, winning 4-1, but that time the score was a more accurate reflection of the game.

Jamie Vardy weighed in with two goals that day but he suffered a muscle strain during the Foxes' 4-1 success at home to West Ham last Wednesday and, although he has returned to training, he is not guaranteed to start.

Kelechi Iheanacho may have a big role to play and his importance was recognised by Rodgers, who took him off after 68 minutes of Saturday's 1-0 success at Brentford in the FA Cup fourth round.

Rodgers made nine changes at Griffin Park, but will go with as strong a selection as possible against Villa as he bids to reach a major English final for the first time in his management career.

Villa deserve underdog status but two key factors will give them hope.

Home advantage could be huge if they can get the crowd involved.

Five of Villa's seven Premier League victories have been on home soil and the impact of the crowd was seen only last Tuesday when a raucous Villa Park spurred on their team to a 2-1 victory at home to Watford.

The other factor is Jack Grealish, by far the best player in Villa's squad and a star with the talent to play for the biggest clubs in the country.

Grealish tops Villa's Premier League scoring and assists charts with tallies of seven and five and Leicester must try to contain him if they want an easier night's work.

The 24-year-old is the main reason Villa are the highest scorers in the bottom half of the table with 31 goals and he has an extra reason to want to influence the game because he will be on the same pitch as James Maddison, arguably his direct rival for a place in the England squad.

Leicester may struggle to keep a lid on Grealish but they should carry a threat at the other end.

Of the 64 goals Leicester have scored this season, 39 of them have been on their travels.

They could have had a hatful in the first leg and may have more space in the second, allowing them to demonstrate their counter-attacking prowess.

A high-scoring away victory looks likely and punters can bump up the price by backing Leicester to win and both teams to score.

Key stat

Both teams have scored in each of Aston Villa's last six games.

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