Aston Villa face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday, but manager Dean Smith will have one eye on the Premier League table as the Villans teeter one point above the relegation zone. To balance a squad fatigued by the festive fixture list and steadily accumulating injuries to vital players such as Tom Heaton, Wesley Moraes and John McGinn, the Villa manager will be forced to rotate, and he will have to rely on Jonathan Kodjia once more.
The Ivorian striker was first brought to Villa Park after their relegation to the Championship and made an impressive start to life in the second division scoring 19 goals. But after recovering from breaking his ankle, he has seen his game time significantly reduced for the West Midlands side. His only starts of this season have come in cup competitions, and so far, he has two goals in as many games in the League Cup this season, continuing that excellent run would go a long way to seeing the striker make his first-ever Premier League start.
Smith will have to put more faith in Kodjia with striker Wesley out injured for what appears to be the rest of the season, after a knee problem he sustained against Burnley and few other alternatives to the Ivorian upfront. That starts against Leicester City, and the Villa manager would be wise to tweak his tactics slightly to get the better of the Premier League’s second-placed side. Kodjia is a valuable asset running off the shoulder of the last defender in behind, and he should stick to the less mobile Wes Morgan, if Brendan Rodgers opts to start the Jamaican, to get opportunities on the counter-attack.
Though the Foxes should prove much more of a challenge than in Kodjia’s last League Cup match against a much-changed Liverpool side, he should still get opportunities to add to the brace he scored in that encounter. The League Cup semi-final could prove to be a decisive moment as Kodjia is plunged into a Premier League career, he now has the responsibilities of goals for Aston Villa resting on his shoulders and scoring another against Leicester City would do his confidence a world of good.
