Chelsea travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday evening. Chelsea may fancy their chances after beating Villa in the FA Cup two months prior, but their form is inconsistent. Villa will fancy their chances as they’re solid at home while beating Chelsea in their last two league meetings.
Villa could go nine points clear of Tottenham Hotspur in 5th while Chelsea could overtake West Ham in 8th. Villa are chasing a third consecutive league win while Chelsea have suffered two consecutive defeats without scoring. The two sides are five places and 19 points apart in the league table.
Villa’s form makes them favourites
Unai Emery’s men are 4th with 66 points from 34 games, having recently beaten Bournemouth 3-1. Villa have lost just one of their last six league outings and look even more invincible at home.
The Midlands outfit have five wins and one draw from their previous seven games in all competitions. Villa have lost just three home games in the league all season, so Chelsea have their work cut out.
It’s worth noting Villa have only lost once to Chelsea in their last four meetings in all competitions. They’ve beaten them in two previous two league meetings while drawing in the FA Cup.
Chelsea overdue a performance away from home
Chelsea are 9th in the table with 47 points from 32 games, having recently lost 5-0 to Arsenal. That came days after a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup, so Chelsea aren’t in great shape. The Blues are really struggling on their travels this season too.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men haven’t won on the road since February, shipping 11 goals in their last five games. In fact, Chelsea haven’t kept a clean sheet away since October. Villa are a difficult side to keep quiet, with only Tottenham shutting them out at Villa Park. Time will tell how Chelsea fare.
