Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PREMIER LEAGUE BACKLASH
Smith warns Villa to expect an angry response from Leicester with both clubs going for broke
Jack Grealish to score first goal
DEAN SMITH has told his Aston Villa players to expect an almighty backlash from brassed-off Leicester.
The Villa boss says the Foxes will be hell-bent on revenge after his men dashed their Wembley dream in January.
No one fancied Villa to come out on top in their two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final – but they snatched it with a dramatic stoppage-time goal.
Now the teams go head to head in the league with the stakes still high for both of them.
Leicester need to turn around a disappointing run of results – one win in their last seven league matches – which is threatening what looked like a certain Champions League spot.
Villa have lost their last three league games but know that victory tonight would see them spring above Watford, West Ham and Bournemouth with a game in hand. Smith says the Foxes will be stinging because some of their players felt they under-estimated Villa.
Smith (below) said: “Somebody told me that Marc Albrighton had said that they probably took us a bit lightly.
“They felt that they were going to progress so we’ve certainly got to be ready for that backlash,” he said.
But the Villa boss is confident his men are prepared for the challenge of trying to haul themselves out of trouble.
He added: “The two sides know each other very well. They beat us 4-1 in the league and we went there and had to put up a good defensive display to come away with a 1-1 draw in the cup and then beat them at the death at Villa Park.
“On our day we can more than match them but they are third in the league for a reason. Brendan Rodgers has done a fantastic job.
“But we have a great belief in ourselves. We can beat any of the last 11 teams we’ve got to play.
“You only have to look at the results from last weekend to know all teams are beatable.”
Smith believes that, though his players lost 2-1 to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, they gained a lot from the experience.
He added: “I can see a lot more belief in them. We had a top-class side like City hanging on at the end, slicing balls out for corners or throw-ins.
“We pushed them all the way. It’s not all doom and gloom for me. It’s in our hands. We can do something about it and the players know that.”