Aston Villa boss Remi Garde aims to emulate Leicester's miraculous Premier League revival

REMI GARDE says Aston Villa want to "copy and paste" Leicester's great escape to save themselves from Premier League relegation.

 

Remi Garde's Aston Villa won their first game under his guidance against Crystal Palace on Tuesday

 

Garde reckons Villa must copy today's opponents if they are to save themselves from dropping into the Championship.

Villa appear doomed after picking up just 11 points from 21 games, but Leicester upset the odds last season by winning seven of their last nine games to stay up.

They have since made a stunning start to this season and will return to the top of the League with victory at Villa Park.

"I would like to copy and paste that!" said Garde, whose team picked up a priceless win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

"I don't know if we can do that, but I said it when I came in - 'why not?'

 

"With the way we played in the last game and the spirit within the team and squad, it was a very good victory. I say, 'Let's do it again'.

"We have a lot of respect for Leicester. They are the top team in the League away from home with seven victories, and they have scored in every game away except when they lost at Liverpool. We have to be on the same level as Palace to get points."

Lifelong Villa fan Marc Albrighton could spark a family row if he piles more misery on his former club tonight.

The 26-year-old Leicester winger was brought up in claret and blue and even though Villa released him, he takes no pleasure in witnessing their current struggle.

"It is not nice at all to see them where they are," he said. "I have been a Villa fan since I was born. I would love nothing more than for them to escape.

 

"But it is not looking good for them - in fact it is looking quite bleak. I would love them to survive, although obviously after our game."

Albrighton reckons that if Villa manage to escape it could be an even bigger achievement than Leicester's astonishing streak away from the drop last season.

He added: "It would probably eclipse what we achieved. They will no doubt look at what we did and take heart from it.

"They will take a lot of confidence from their win over Crystal Palace and it will be a tough game, no two ways about it."

Asked if a top-four finish for the Foxes and Villa miraculously clambering to safety would be a dream double, Albrighton added: "Now that would be nice - and would make everyone happy in my family as well!"