Leeds United welcome Aston Villa to Elland Road this afternoon as the Whites return to Premier League action after over four weeks away.
Ahead of the game we caught up with Birmingham Live's Aston Villa reporter Ashley Preece to get the inside track.
Watching from afar it seems as though Villa have struggled for traction so far this season, would that be fair say?
That’s a fair reflection, spot on. Inconsistency has been Gerrard’s buzzword throughout his near 10-month reign so far and, this season, problems remain. It was a proper bop on the nose down at Bournemouth on the opening day (Villa got battered) yet, just a few weeks ago, Gerrard’s men could well have beaten Man City. Go figure.
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But seven points from their first seven PL matches isn’t exactly what the owners had hoped for so far. Villa are yet to win an away game in the PL this season and now they have back-to-back trips to Leeds and then Forest so these next two games are, for me, huge.
Villa claimed a win before the international break, is that something they are capable of building on?
You’d like to hope so but, given Leeds’ home form this term, it’s an entirely different test for Villa to the one they passed with flying colours back in March in that 0-3 win in Marsch’s first home game in charge. Gerrard’s remit this season, by the way, is a top-half finish so Villa need to start producing a steady flow of points.
What’s the mood around Villa Park like as the club prepares to travel to Yorkshire?
It should be a good one off the back of taking four points from Man City and Southampton. Gerrard has a knack of getting results when he needs them and he did exactly that in Villa’s last two fixtures following on from three defeats on the spin vs Palace, West Ham and Arsenal. Another positive showing, this time at Elland Road, will lift the mood once again.
What gives you confidence that Villa can pick up the points on Sunday?
I’m not too confident, you know. I’ve liked the look of Leeds this season. It looks like they’ve recruited well with Aaronson, Sinisterra and Adams all looking bright whenever I’ve seen them. I’m just hoping Villa can return to the form they showed when they last rocked up at Elland Road. The international break, though, could well have stuttered the momentum off the back of those decent and much-needed results against City and Southampton.
Who should Leeds be wary of?
Jacob Ramsey. I was chatting to a colleague this week who says he’s better than Jack Grealish at the same age (21) which is some praise. Ramsey, though, is starting to come on strong again now and looks back to his best. Leeds need to be wary of his powerful, driving runs into their 18-yard box which, most of the time, fashions a decent chance for Villa’s attacking players.
How do you feel Leeds can cause Villa problems?
Defending set-pieces have been an issue for Villa but, in recent games, they’ve appeared much stronger in that department. Villa have a few injuries with key man Boubacar Kamara missing from the heart of midfield. The Frenchman is so important and Leeds could dominate that area without Kamara being on hand to mop up danger. There’s real problems at full-back for Villa as well with Lucas Digne and Matty Cash both out. It looks like Ashley Young - excellent this season - will start again while Ludwig Augustinsson could make his debut. What an acid test that’ll be for him, by the way. Leeds could get some joy down the flanks on Sunday and that worries me.
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