da stake casino： Aston Villa play Leicester City this weekend as they look to haul themselves out of the relegation zone and Dean Smith must look to utilise a key part of one man’s game to record a surprise victory.
On the chalkboard
da betano casino： The Villans are currently struggling at the wrong end of the table. 19th in the Premier League, they are two points from safety, albeit with a game in hand.
Watch Aston Villa Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
Whilst Leicester are third as it stands, they are going through a rough patch. They have won just one of their last seven matches in the top flight, with their latest defeat coming against Norwich, who are the current lanterne rouge. As such, the Villa Park outfit have a chance of picking up a vital three points on Monday night, and Mbwana Samatta could be key to their hopes of victory.
Aerial prowess
With Wesley out until the end of the season, Villa were desperate to bring in a new striker during the January transfer window. In the end, they brought in two – Borja Baston joined on deadline day, whilst Samatta was signed for £8.5m towards the end of the window as well.
The Tanzania international has made a solid start, scoring twice in his first five matches, and it is his ability in the air that has stood out. He netted both goals with his head, whilst all three of his goals for Genk in the Champions League came via the same body part.
Having won four aerial duels per match so far in the English top flight, he has proven his ability to dominate in the air, and that can be put to good use against the Foxes on Monday.
Brendan Rodgers’ men may be flying high in the Champions League places, but that does not mean they are not vulnerable in certain areas. They have won just 16.9 aerial duels per match this season, which is the 15th worst return in the division.
Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu may be leading the way for Leicester in terms of aerial battles won, but the three and 2.7 they have managed is lower than Samatta’s average – suggesting he has a key advantage over them. In fact, no Leicester player really comes close to matching Samatta’s prowess in the air.
The 27-year-old could help bring others in to play – such as Jack Grealish, on whom so much of Villa’s attacking play relies on – or use his head to find the net once again. Either way, that part of his game could be what inspires an unexpected win this weekend, but it will also require the rest of the Villa team playing to Samatta’s biggest strength.
Meanwhile, Villa fans discuss Dean Smith’s tactical switch.