MX23RW : Thursday, November 7 19:10:07| >> :600:204231:204231:
[monks data]
Attendance: 32,125
Leicester logo
Premier League | Gameweek 29
Mar 9, 2020 at 8pm UK
 
Aston Villa logo

4-0

Barnes (40', 85'), Vardy (63' pen., 79')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Brendan Rodgers insists Leicester not out for "revenge" against Villa

Brendan Rodgers insists Leicester not out for
© Reuters
Villa defeated the Foxes on January 28 in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers insists the Premier League clash against Aston Villa is not a revenge mission for his side.

Monday night's opponents inflicted heartache on the Foxes a few weeks ago by denying them a trip to Wembley in the Carabao Cup, with Trezeguet's injury-time goal sealing victory for Villa and sending them to the final.

Rodgers revealed that reaching the final of that competition was something Leicester had targeted at the beginning of the campaign.

However, he insists the Foxes' only focus now is achieving another of their pre-season goals – qualifying for the Champions League.

"No, no revenge," said Rodgers. "We played well in the league game there but in the semi-final Villa played very well and deserved to go through.

"In general in the games, we dominated. But they defended very well. We didn't take our opportunities in the first leg and in the second leg, their keeper made three fantastic saves.

"We set six targets at the beginning of the season and one was to get to the final of the League Cup, we didn't quite make it. Now, we are entering the last 10 games of the season and our other targets remain very much on track.

"Naturally any team – if you're in this position – will want to finish in a Champions League position."

While Leicester are hoping to qualify for Europe's premier club competition, Villa are fighting for their lives towards the bottom of the Premier League table.

Rodgers insists league position counts for little at this stage of the season, saying: "In this period, whoever you're playing on paper, it doesn't matter.

"You get to this stage of the season, teams are going to be fighting for their lives. Every team is going to be pushing with a purpose and that's no different to us.

"Villa have some very talented players and we know it will be another tough game. But really it's about how we can hurt Aston Villa and we know that if we can bring our best game, we have a good chance of winning."

Jamie Vardy is expected to return to the Leicester squad on Monday night.

The striker, who has scored 17 Premier League goals this season, has missed the last two matches with a calf injury but Rodgers is optimistic he will have his talisman back in contention.

While Vardy's return will come as an undoubted boost, Leicester may be dealt a blow by the absence of left-back Ben Chilwell as he is nursing a hamstring problem.

ID:392143: cacheID:392143:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3907:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacts as Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola looks on on January 29, 2020
Read Next:
Premier League week 29 predictions including Manchester United vs. Man City
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!