TEAM NEWS

Aston Villa captain Micah Richards is fit to face Leicester after being left out of the side in midweek to protect an ankle problem.

Jack Grealish, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Carlos Sanchez are all in contention to return but Alan Hutton remains out with a hamstring injury.

Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri is expected to name an unchanged matchday squad.

Injured pair Jeff Schlupp and Matty James remain unavailable.

MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES

Jonathan Pearce: "After registering a first home win for 248 days, can Villa really get another just four days later?

"One of their best performances last season - in the second half at least - came in the 2-1 FA Cup win against Leicester.

"They need a run of several wins in a row to keep alive hopes of survival. There's little chance. No side has ever managed it after picking up just 11 points after 21 Premier League games.

"Since December 2011, when home form started to falter, the squad has lacked investment. A new chairman won't change that.

"Leicester, with this season's best away record, have answered every question of all the doubters so far. Their defence isn't conceding and Jamie Vardy can start scoring again here."

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

Aston Villa manager Remi Garde: "The win for Leicester against Villa earlier this season was a very important win for them. To beat them this weekend would be a big boost for us.

"The victory over Palace gave us more confidence. The players know the level they can play at. Hopefully we can do this from now until the end of the season."

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri: "This is a young team and because last season was about fighting for survival they know the bitter taste of fighting at the bottom. Now they taste the cake at the top of the table and the difference is very high.

"I think slowly, slowly [the players] believe they can do something special. It's not easy of course, but it is important to try."

LAWRO'S PREDICTION

Villa ended their long wait for a victory against Crystal Palace on Tuesday but I do not see them winning as many games as they will need to stay in the top flight, especially because the teams above them will pick up points too.

Prediction: 0-2

Lawro's full predictions v Creed stars Michael B Jordan & Tony Bellew

• Think you can do better than Lawro? Predict the score for this match and the rest of this round's Premier League fixtures in our Predictor game.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Aston Villa have won only four of their 19 Premier League games against Leicester, but three of those victories have come in the last four meetings at Villa Park.
• There have been five red cards in the last seven Premier League meetings.

Aston Villa

• Remi Garde's side ended a 19-match winless league run in midweek. They are looking to register successive league victories for the first time since May.
• Villa now have 11 points; no club has avoided relegation with as few points after 21 Premier League games. West Brom had 12 points at this stage when they went on to survive in 2004-05.
• The Villans have only won 18 of their 80 league games at Villa Park since December 2011. They have earned just 76 points from those fixtures, losing half of them (W18, D22, L40).
• Aston Villa are the Premier League's lowest scorers with 17 goals. They have only scored five first-half goals this season, the fewest in the division.
• They have conceded the opening goal on a league-high 15 occasions in 2015-16.

Leicester City

• The Foxes have the division's best away record, with an unrivalled 24 points, seven wins and 22 goals scored in 11 matches.
• Leicester are vying to keep four successive clean sheets in the top flight for the first time since October-November 1974.
• Jamie Vardy has managed one goal and six attempts on target in seven matches since he scored in 11 consecutive Premier League games.
• N'Golo Kante has made a league-high 85 tackles and 83 interceptions in the Premier League this season.
• Claudio Ranieri's Monaco won both league matches against Remi Garde's Lyon in 2013-14.