Villa look to exploit leaky Leeds defence to maintain top-six momentum

Aston Villa head to Elland Road on Sunday as clear favourites, with their recent form contrasting sharply with a Leeds United side struggling to regain control of their season.

Leeds return from the international break still processing consecutive heavy defeats, having conceded six goals across losses to Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest.

Those results dragged them back towards danger and left them only one point above the relegation zone, with Daniel Farke’s side now beaten in four of their last five matches.

Their defensive issues remain a constant problem, with no clean sheet recorded since August, and their form against teams in the top half adds to the sense of vulnerability.

Leeds have not beaten a top-10 Premier League side since their shock win at Liverpool in October 2022, and their most recent victories have come only against teams in the lower reaches of the table.

Their record against Aston Villa offers little comfort either. Leeds have failed to score in each of their last three home league meetings with Sunday’s opponents, and another blank would mark the first time in their history that they have gone four successive home matches without a goal against the same club.

That sequence feeds into a wider concern over their lack of attacking conviction, with only two goals scored in their last four league outings. The pressure to find fluency grows with every match, yet the signs of progress remain inconsistent.

Villa, by contrast, look increasingly assured after recovering from a poor start to the campaign. Unai Emery’s side went five games without a win and managed only a single goal during that opening period, but their transformation since then has been emphatic.

They have won five of their last six league fixtures and responded to their defeat at Liverpool by dismantling Bournemouth 4-0 in their final outing before the break.

That performance highlighted the control and confidence that now underpins their football, with Emiliano Buendia, Morgan Rogers and Amadou Onana all influential in a display that pushed Villa into the top six.

Their momentum is supported by an impressive record against newly promoted opposition, as they have not lost to such a side since 2022.

Villa also remain unbeaten in five league meetings with Leeds since October 2020, and the ease with which they handled Bournemouth suggests no desire to ease off.

With Leeds’ defensive instability and Villa’s rising form, it is difficult to see the balance of this contest tilting away from Emery’s team unless the hosts produce something markedly different from their recent showings.