EFL Cup: Leicester City v Aston Villa betting preview, free tips & TV

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

Where to watch

Sky Sports Football/Main Event, 8pm Wednesday

Best bet

Leicester to win & both teams to score
1pt 19-10 BoyleSports
Back this tip with Coral

Team news

Leicester City
Wes Morgan (groin), Filip Benkovic (knee) and Matty James (Achilles) are sidelined but Jamie Vardy should return.

Aston Villa
Goalkeepers Tom Heaton (knee) and Jed Steer (calf) are out, meaning Orjan Nyland should get the nod between the sticks. Wesley is missing with a knee injury while John McGinn (ankle) is also still absent. New loan signing Danny Drinkwater is cup-tied.

Match preview

It was the start of a new millennium when Leicester City last made the final of the League Cup, beating Aston Villa in the last four in 2000, and the Foxes can mark the beginning of a new decade with another semi-final success against their Midlands rivals.

City went on to lift the trophy that season, beating Tranmere in the final, and the hungry King Power faithful will want Brendan Rodgers to go all out to secure the first major trophy of the season, starting with victory in the first leg.

They edged past Villa 1-0 on aggregate 20 years ago but Foxes fans will be hoping for a more comprehensive display this time around after they ran out 4-1 winners at Villa Park in December.

Leicester have since wobbled slightly in the league with defeats to fellow highflyers Manchester City and Liverpool but remain second in the Premier League standings with 14 wins in 21 matches.

They have been breathtaking in the final third - netting only three goals fewer than runaway leaders Liverpool - and have lost only once at the King Power in the league this campaign.

There was some rotation over the festive period but Rodgers has generally settled on an established back four of Roberto Pereira, Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu and Ben Chilwell, although that has not translated into as many clean sheets as expected.

They have kept only one in their last six league contests and, given they will want to put the game to bed amid a fixture pile-up, Leicester could leave themselves exposed at the back.

Villa should therefore fancy their chances of scoring a consolation.

Ordinarily the loss of a first-choice striker would be a massive blow for a side battling relegation but injured forward Wesley is yet to properly find his feet in the top flight.

Dean Smith will still have his top two scorers in Jack Grealish, rested for the FA Cup defeat to Fulham, and Conor Hourihane, while Anwar El Ghazi can be a threat and has scored five goals in all competitions.

With no deputy of equal ability, Jamie Vardy’s knock would have had some Foxes fans sweating but the Premier League’s top scorer with 17 strikes is expected to return after three games out and he should be all the better for a rest.

Expect a pulsating contest in the Midlands as Northern Irish Leicester boss Rodgers aims to emulate his compatriot Martin O'Neill and edge closer to the first significant silverware of the season.