Premier League: Aston Villa’s Recent Surge Could Heap More Pressure on Farke

Leeds United vs Aston Villa

After enduring a slow start to the 2025-26 campaign, Aston Villa have found their feet, as they are suddenly back in the European football mix. The Villans have won five of their last six Premier League games to rise to sixth in the English top-flight table with 18 points before the November international break.

Unai Emery’s men are level with fifth-seeded Tottenham, seventh-seeded Manchester United, eighth-seeded Liverpool, and ninth-seeded Bournemouth. They have an opportunity to break away from the five-way tie to sneak into the Top 4 with a winnable match against Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.

Leeds United badly need to win, as they’re only one point above the relegation zone. Head coach Daniel Farke will aim to snap the Whites’ two-game losing skid, as they’re in 16th place.

Continue reading below for the SBOTOP preview of this interesting encounter.

 

Talking Points

Leeds United’s attack needs to get going

Leeds United’s return to the top-flight hasn’t been smooth, as they’re one of the lowest-scoring teams in the Premier League. As of this writing, the Whites have scored only 10 goals in the first 11 matchdays, the same as Nottingham Forest, who are currently 19th in the standings.

Joe Rodon is the team’s joint top scorer this season with two goals (alongside Lukas Nmecha and Noah Okafor), which is absurd because he’s a centre-back. Sean Longstaff, Anton Stach, Brenden Aaronson, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin also have one goal apiece this term. Nmecha scored the team’s most recent league goal during their 3-1 away loss against Nottingham Forest.

Daniel Farke recently admitted that his team lacks firepower in the final third. But while this is true, the least Leeds United can do is to be stronger on the defencive end, and they haven’t been so this season, having conceded 20 goals already.

The good news for Farke is that he’ll have a full squad to choose from against Aston Villa. However, he is under pressure to turn the Whites’ fortunes around, with Brendan Rodgers rumoured to be his potential replacement if things go awry in the next few weeks.

 

Fitness concerns on Aston Villa’s backline

Meanwhile, Aston Villa are sweating on the fitness of some of their key players, who represented their nations during the recently concluded international break. Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash, Lamare Bogarde, and Amadou Onana are listed as questionable for the Leeds United match. Tyrone Mings and Andres Garcia are not expected to feature due to injury.

This leaves head coach Unai Emery with a selection dilemma against the Whites. However, we envision Emery having Konsa and Cash join Pau Torres and Lucas Digne at the back, while Youri Tielemans could replace Onana in the middle. 

Donyell Malen is currently the man in form for Aston Villa, as he has scored in his last two appearances. The Dutch winger is the team’s joint top scorer with three league goals alongside Emi Buendia.

 

History

Leeds United and Aston Villa will meet again in the Premier League after a two-year hiatus, since the former dropped to the Championship after the 2022-23 campaign. The Whites regain their English top-flight status after winning the Championship in the 2024-25 season.

Leeds United are winless in their last five games against Aston Villa, with their last win being a 3-0 result in October 2020. The previous Premier League contest between these two teams was Aston Villa’s 2-1 victory at Villa Park. Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia scored for the Villans, while Patrick Bamford scored for the Whites. If they can secure victory on Sunday, it’ll be only their second win against the Villans since 2016.

Overall, these two sides have met 106 times across all competitions, with Aston Villa recording 42 wins, Leeds United having 32 wins and 32 draws.

 

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2025 odds surprisingly predict a close fight between Leeds United and Aston Villa. The Villans have the slight advantage at 2.38, whereas the Whites aren’t far behind at 2.82, and a draw is at 3.05 in the 1X2 market. Avoiding defeat is the hosts’ main objective, but it’ll be easier said than done against the in-form visitors. 

Don’t expect too many Premier League 2025 highlights from this fixture. With that said, bettors can also consider adding Under 2.50 at 1.76, Under 2.25 at 1.98, and Total Goal 2-3 at 1.97 to the parlay. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of the Villans – the outcome of their last encounter – is on offer at 11.00.

   

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.