Evening all, and welcome along to the live text coverage of Leicester vs Aston Villa in the League Cup semi-final first leg. Manchester City took control of their tie against city rivals Manchester United last night - can either side do likewise tonight? Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. Stay here for updates throughout - let's take a look at the teams first...
League Cup / Matchday 1
King Power Stadium / 08.01.2020
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- K. Iheanacho(75')
- F. Guilbert(29')
Live
Live Updates
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Updated 08/01/2020 at 21:51 GMT
2'
While we're in the early stages of this one, remember the last League Cup semi-final you played, Villa fans?
You probably made yourself forget...
KICK-OFF
And away we go!
Leicester favourites for this one, but it's a cup tie, so you just never know...
19.56
Right then. Schmeichel and Grealish lead the teams out. Flags aplenty at the King Power.
19.53
Brendan Rodgers. Cup God.
He 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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Image credit: Getty Images
19.50
A throwback to that meeting 20 years ago...
England's saviour Gareth Southgate there trying to tackle Muzzy Izzet! A simpler time.
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Image credit: Getty Images
19.47
20 years later...
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.
Let's hope for more goals this time around.
19.42
Leicester will be favourites tonight, and to advance into the final overall, but Aston Villa boss Dean Smith is not deterred.
"I prefer to play away first, but the key thing is making sure we're still in the tie. We've got to strike the balance between being cautious and trying to win. If you sit back and defend against Leicester, they've got players who can hurt you."
19.37
It's chucking it down, to put it politely, at the King Power Stadium. Could be a scrappy one.
19.34
It has been 20 years since Leicester reached a final, but Brendan Rodgers is only looking forward in his quest to create new history at the club.
"I'm aware the club hasn't been to a final for 20 years so let's get there then," he said. "Let's not be worried too much about the past. Let's create this new history but we know we're going to have to play well to get there.
"It's always nice when you have something tangible to show for your progress. The players have been amazing so if you can do that it would be great. You can still do some great work as a team and as a club and not win but our ambition is to win.
"Any team that wins anything you have to move onto the next focus and target."
19.28
Villa need a striker in the January transfer window, and that's enough of a seamless link to tell you to watch our latest Euro Papers video.... featuring Gareth Bale. Of course.
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David Beckham in race to sign Gareth Bale - Euro Papers
19.25
Ignoring Villa's team at Fulham for the FA Cup on Saturday, it's two enforced changes from the side that beat Burnley in the Premier League on New Year's Day.
Tom Heaton and Wesley are out for the season - in come Orjan Nyland and Anwar El Ghazi... with Jonathan Kodjia not featuring at all. An injury, you would imagine, given he's Villa's only recognised striker at the moment.
19.21
Guess who's back for Leicester? It's... Jamie Vardy (that's so 2019, I hear you say).
The Foxes striker is back having missed the last three games due to the birth of his daughter, and then a calf injury. Picked up in the delivery room perhaps.
Regardless, it means the man who stuck two past Villa last month leads the line once more for Leicester.
TEAMS
Leicester XI: Schmeichel, Pereira, Evans, Soyuncu, Fuchs, Chilwell, Praet, Tielemans, Perez, Maddison, Vardy / Subs: Ward, Justin, Benkovic, Choudhury, Albrighton, Barnes, Iheanacho
Aston Villa XI: Nyland, Konsa, Mings, Hause, Guilbert, Luiz, Nakamba, Taylor, El Ghazi, Trezeguet, Grealish / Subs: Kalinic, Elmohamady, Chester, Hourihane, Lansbury, Jota, Vassilev