Aston Villa v Leeds predictions: Hosts can respond positively to FA Cup shock

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Aston Villa v Leeds in the Premier League on Friday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League, 8pm Friday

Best bet

Aston Villa
2pts 19-20 bet365

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Team news

Aston Villa
John McGinn remains sidelined with a hamstring injury but Matty Cash and Ludwig Augustinsson hope to shake off a knock. Extensive changes are expected from the team that lost to Stevenage.

Leeds
Jesse Marsch's line-up should have a more familiar look to it after the American shuffled his pack at Cardiff. Patrick Bamford could be involved but Luis Sinisterra, Adam Forshaw and Stuart Dallas are still sidelined.

Match preview

It doesn't matter how many changes you made to your line-up, no Premier League team enjoys being knocked out of the FA Cup by a team from a lower division.

But we should expect a strong reaction from Aston Villa after their cup shocker against League Two Stevenage and Unai Emery has enough in his ranks to see off Leeds.

The loss on Sunday grabbed headlines but Villa's Premier League record since Emery's arrival - they have won three, drawn one and lost one of his five games in charge - suggests that while no one in the congested bottom half is safe from the drop, it seems unlikely they will be one of the three that go down.

That wasn't really case when Steven Gerrard was at the helm. Villa look better organised with the experienced former Arsenal gaffer in charge, and often that can be enough to stave off relegation.

They have a strong attacking threat with Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings available and that spells trouble for a Leeds team who have had their issues on the road this season.

The Yorkshiremen's 2-1 victory at Liverpool was memorable but that is the only league success Leeds have tasted away from Elland Road this term.

Jesse Marsch's men had lost five of their previous six away games before that Anfield success and while a goalless draw at Newcastle in their last league outing was a good result, that was the only time they have prevented their hosts from finding the net this term.

Admittedly, Leicester are the only team in the bottom half to have scored more goals than the Whites and Manchester United, who are fourth, have netted on just two more occasions. But 14 goals conceded in their last six away games tells its own story and it cannot bode well against a team who have failed to score in just two of their last 13 home matches.

Leeds will need a bit of a kick up the backside after falling behind to two goals against Championship side Cardiff on Sunday before dragging themselves back to earn a replay and missing a penalty that would have put them straight through to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

However, that had more of a sense of a close escape than a missed opportunity.

Emery will have made it crystal clear that there must be no repeat of the Stevenage defeat and we should expect a strong reaction from Aston Villa on Friday night .