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By @jonnychick__.
Leeds United will look to do the league double over Aston Villa for the first time since the 1975/76 season as they welcome Dean Smith's side to Elland Road on Saturday.
The Whites were victorious in their last game, beating Southampton 3-0 at Elland Road despite a shaky first half.
Southampton came close to taking the lead on a few occasions. Jannik Vestergaard got on the end of a James Ward-Prowse free-kick in the early stages of the game, but he headed the ball just wide.
Ralph Hasenhüttl's side would've felt hard done by when referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot after Diego Llorente appeared to have brought down Nathan Tella in the box, only to overturn the decision after a VAR check.
The Saints did have the ball in the back of the net at one point in the first-half when they tried to catch Leeds out with a quickly taken free-kick, but the referee pulled it back after the Saints were deemed to have taken the free-kick before he blew his whistle.
Leeds did have chances of their own in the first half though and probably should've gone ahead when Stuart Dallas played Raphinha through one on one, but he was denied by an audacious last-ditch challenge by Oriol Romeu.
United managed to make it to half-time with the scoreline goalless and came out firing on all cylinders after the break. Leeds took the lead just minutes into the second half when Tyler Roberts played through top scorer Patrick Bamford who netted his 13th goal of the season.
Stuart Dallas then scored his fifth goal of the season when he toe-poked the ball into the bottom left corner. Brazilian winger Raphinha also netted his fifth goal of the campaign when he scored from a free-kick late on to make it 3-0 and get Leeds back to winning ways.
Tuesday night also saw Leeds United shot-stopper Illan Meslier set a new record by becoming the first goalkeeper under the age of 21 to record eight clean sheets in a single Premier League season.
The three points moved Leeds back into the top half of the Premier League table as they now sit in 10th on 35 points, 13 points above the relegation zone and just one point below Saturday's opponents Aston Villa.
Aston Villa are having a fantastic season compared to their usual standards. Last season, Villa only just managed to avoid relegation and they were one of the favourites to go down this season but after good business in the summer, they haven't dropped out of the top half of the table and are eying up a potential European spot.
Villa have delivered some great performances and results this season, however, their most recent match ended in defeat at the hands of Leicester City. Goals from James Maddison and Harvey Barnes were all the Foxes needed to secure a 2-1 win at Villa Park.
Dean Smith's Aston Villa side have won just one of their last four league matches and three of their last ten, so they will be looking to turn their form around with a positive result at Elland Road.
However, Dean Smith has had a torrid time when facing Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa in the past. Smith is winless in his previous three encounters with the Argentine, losing two and drawing one.
Speaking about Marcelo Bielsa is his most recent press conference, Dean Smith said: “I have an awful lot of respect for the work that Marcelo Bielsa has done.
"I’m not sure another manager could have gone into a club like Leeds and made the impact that he’s had on them." (Leeds Live)
TEAM NEWS
Leeds United will be without Kalvin Phillips (calf) for the fourth game in a row, Marcelo Bielsa confirmed in his press conference, while injured duo Rodrigo and Robin Koch will again miss out.
Midfielder Mateusz Klich is a fitness doubt for Saturday's game after appearing to hurt his back during the midweek win over Southampton.
Jack Grealish remains unavailable for Aston Villa due to a shin injury. The attacking midfielder missed the defeat to Leicester City and no time frame has been put on his return.
Summer signing Matty Cash is also still out with a hamstring injury, however, defender Bjorn Engels has recovered from a back spasm and could return to the matchday squad.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
- Leeds United won the reverse fixture 3-0 with striker Patrick Bamford scoring his first hat-trick in a Leeds shirt. The Whites can do the league double over Aston Villa for the first time since the 1975/76 season.
- Controversy struck when the two sides last met at Elland Road in April 2019, with Marcelo Bielsa demanding Leeds give Villa a goal after Mateusz Klich opened the scoring while Jonathan Kodija was down injured.
- The Whites have lost just two of their last 14 meetings with Aston Villa, winning six and drawing six.
- Aston Villa have won just two of their last 17 away league games against Leeds, with those victories coming in January and December 2000.
- The two clubs have faced each other a total of 101 times, with Leeds winning 32 of those meetings and drawing 30.
MATCH INFORMATION
Leeds United vs Aston Villa
English Premier League
17:30 Saturday 27th February 2021
Elland Road
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