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Leicester and Aston Villa met in the League Cup semi-final the last time the Foxes reached this stage in 1999-00, with Leicester winning 1-0 on aggregate and going on to lift the trophy.

Matt Elliot was the hero in that tie. If you're too young to remember Elliot he was a very 90s sort of player, a centre-half who would occasionally play up front to good effect.

Warhurst. Dublin. Sutton. All did that dual role from time to time. Can't think of anyone who would do that now.

Fabian Schar?

Aston Villa have won their last four League Cup matches, last winning five in a row in October 1994.

Very nicely cleared up Deano. Both teams are playing three at the back tonight by the looks of it.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith on Sky Sports: "We haven't got any centre forwards, it's as simple as that.

"Jonathan Kodjia came off the training pitch ill yesterday. Hopefully we can be as good as Manchester City last night.

"We've got no choice! We don't have any centre forwards. That's where we are."

YES Matt. You can't win too many trophies can you?

The rain is bucketing down in Leicester by the way.

Matt Westcott: No fan ever says do you remember when we were 14th in the Premier League? It's all about winning trophies. The knowledge that you were the best at something. Not just making up the numbers.

Micah Richards
Former Aston Villa defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

You approach every game like you want to win it, simple as that, but the Premier League is so massive. Look at Spurs in 2008, they won the League Cup and what have they won since? So is it such an important cup? I don't think it is to be honest.

For Villa the full focus has to be staying in the Premier League. Winning the cup and then going down the leagues, that's no good to anybody.

I might be opening a can of worms here but I can't for the life of me see why James Maddison would even consider such a move at this stage of this season. Pie in the sky.

Leicester City

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Leicester midfielder James Maddison will not leave the club in January, says manager Brendan Rodgers.

The England international has impressed this season and has been linked with a move to Manchester United, external.

Maddison, 23, who joined the Foxes from Norwich for about £20m in June 2018, has scored nine goals and made three assists for Leicester this season.

"James is a very talented player, a wonderful player, and he will be here in January and beyond," Rodgers said.

"There's lots of speculation around lots of our players, which is great, because they're talents and it means they and the team are doing very well.

"There's no pressure to sell here and there's no need for us to sell.

"Nobody will leave here in January that's for sure - we want to add to the squad if we can."

Ooooh - big news for the Foxes.

Leicester played with a back three at Newcastle the other day and played it very well indeed.

Clinton Morrison
Former Crystal Palace striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

I believe Leicester will miss Ndidi, he's been really important to them, he shields the back four so well. I think that's why they're playing three at the back with a more attacking three in front of them.

Robbie Savage
Ex-Wales midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

What an opportunity Leicester have got now to get to a final under Brendan Rodgers. He's doing unbelievably well, the way he's got them playing.

Against the big clubs this season, you'd say they've struggled, so that's why they should be OK against Aston Villa.

On whether Villa might not want another two games in the middle of a relegation battle:

If they beat Leicester and get to a cup final, surely that can only be good for them. I can't think of any negatives. You've got to play your strongest team.

Micah Richards
Former Aston Villa defender on Radio 5 Live

It's difficult, when you don't play with a striker and a focal point - sometimes you don't know who to pass to, which space to run in to.

Wesley's injured, Kodjia must be injured, it's become an injury crisis for Villa.

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, who has scored 17 goals for the Foxes this season, returns to the XI having missed the past three matches with a minor calf problem.

He is one of two changes to the line-up that started against Newcastle in the league, with Dennis Praet coming into the midfield to replace Wilfried Ndidi, who is absent from the matchday squad.

Leicester XI: Schmeichel; Ricardo, Soyuncu, Evans, Fuchs, Chilwell; Praet, Tielemans, Maddison; Perez, Vardy.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith names an XI without a recognised striker.

Norwegian Orjan Nyland, who came on late for an injured Tom Heaton in the 2-1 win at Burnley, is in goal.

Winger Anwar El Ghazi comes into the line-up with striker Wesley, a long-term injury.

Aston Villa XI: Nyland; Konsa, Mings, Hause; Guilbert, Luiz, Nakamba, Taylor; El Ghazi, Grealish, Trézéguet.

It's transfer season alright folks...

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Any bids for Odsonne Edouard would be "very unwelcome", says manager Neil Lennon, after the Celtic striker was linked with a move to Leicester City.

Former Parkhead boss Brendan Rodgers is reportedly preparing a £30m offer , externalfor the France Under-21 forward.

Edouard, brought to Celtic by Rodgers in a club record £9m move, is 18 months into a four-year deal and has scored 17 times in 31 Celtic games this season.

"We can't stop bids coming in but we don't want to sell him," Lennon said.

"We want him here for the second half of the season."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

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Aston Villa are in talks to sign Barcelona's England Under-17s striker Louie Barry in a potential £3m deal.

The 16-year-old joined the Spanish giants in July 2019 after 10 years at West Bromwich Albion.

Barry was part of the West Brom squad that reached the FA Youth Cup semi-final last season.

However, he left in the summer after rejecting a professional contract, and the Baggies are believed to be speaking to their lawyers about the situation.

When Barry signed for Barca the club described him as "one of the best young players in English football".

Brendan Rodgers has progressed from his last 30 domestic cup ties with Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester - the last team to beat Rodgers was Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final in 2014-15, when he was Liverpool manager.

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