Leeds United manager Daniel Farke looking at the Leeds badge.
Leeds United will shift their attention back to Premier League action this week as they gear up for a trip to the Midlands to face Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.
Villa claimed a 2-1 win at Elland Road in November, just days before Daniel Farke altered his system, a tactical adjustment that ultimately sparked a turnaround in Leeds’ season.
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The side heading to the Midlands this time, however, looks markedly different. In recent months, Leeds have shown resilience and become increasingly difficult to beat away from home.
After fighting back from two goals down to earn a point at Chelsea last weekend, they will travel to Villa Park with confidence, believing they can take something from the contest.
Supercomputer drops latest Leeds United relegation verdict
Leeds are six points clear of the relegation zone. However, West Ham’s recent form has raised some eyebrows as the Hammers look to move out of the bottom three.
A couple of poor results and a lacklustre winter transfer window meant Leeds’ chances of relegation were increased a couple of weeks back.
Earlier this month, Opta revealed that Leeds had close to a 10 per cent chance of going back down to the Championship this season.
However, a win over Nottingham Forest and a fighting draw against Chelsea have again changed the outlook on Leeds, going into the final 12 games of the season.
Opta has changed its prediction on Leeds, and now they only have a less than four per cent chance of getting relegated from the Premier League.
A couple of good results meant Leeds are now being seen as a team that are unlikely to go back down to the Championship this season.
Wolves and Burnely are more or less certain to get relegated, and West Ham are still being given more than 70 per cent chance of going down.
Leeds will look to get a result at Villa
Aston Villa are flying high in third place and have their sights firmly set on a Champions League finish, while Leeds United are scrapping at the other end of the table just to make sure they stay up. On paper, it looks like a mismatch.
But football is rarely that straightforward. Villa have hit a slight wobble, losing two of their last three league matches and crashing out of the FA Cup at home to Newcastle over the weekend. For a side chasing the top four, that’s not exactly ideal momentum.
Leeds, on the other hand, seem to have steadied themselves after that bruising defeat at Arsenal. They’ve beaten Nottingham Forest, dug deep to come back from two goals down at Chelsea, and edged past Birmingham City in the cup. There’s a bit of fight and belief about them again.
Aston Villa Premier League Record This Season – Home, Away & Overall Form
A detailed breakdown of Aston Villa’s Premier League performance this season,
highlighting their home form, away record and overall league statistics.
Category Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points Per Game
Home Form 13 9 1 3 19 10 +9 2.15
Away Form 13 6 4 3 18 17 +1 1.69
Overall 26 15 5 6 37 27 +10 1.92
Villa Park has been a stronghold for much of the season, but it’s not a fortress. Three defeats and a draw in 13 league games show they can be got at.
So while Villa’s league position tells one story, Leeds’ recent resilience tells another. It wouldn’t be a shock if Daniel Farke’s side came away with something this weekend.