England Premier League
Monday 28th December 2020
Kick off at 5:30pm GMT
Venue: Stamford Bridge
Match Preview:
These are not easy days at Chelsea and whilst there is no shame usually losing away to Arsenal, at the weekend it felt like it from Chelsea’s perspective. Perhaps it was because Arsenal were in 15th place and having their worst season in 40 years, and after the money spent at Chelsea in the summer no one could have expected them to be 3-0 down at struggling Arsenal - the game eventually finished 3-1 but there does seem to be an air of doom and gloom around Chelsea presently.
The Blues have lost 3 of their four last games and that has seen them fall to 7th place. Still they are only behind a top 4 place by a couple of points but after finishing 4th last season and spending the money they did, it could be argued that behind the scenes Chelsea were hoping for a better season. The club are heading for a 62 point finish which would be seen as unacceptable so manager Frank Lampard has a lot of pressure on him coming into this match.
At home there is more encouraging news where Chelsea have the 2nd best record, have lost just once at Stamford Bridge, and are unbeaten in over 3 months. Their last two matches ended with victories beating Leeds and West Ham and they scored six goals in those encounters.
Aston Villa come into this game in good form, winning their last 2 games, and are unbeaten in their last four. Villa beat Crystal Palace 3-0 at the weekend and have the same points as their hosts but have 2 games in hand.
Even away from home Villa have performed well and in fact they have more points away (15) than they do at home (10). Dean Smith’s side have the 4th best away record in the league with just 1 defeat which came at the hands of Chelsea. The clubs last away game ended in a 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion. They have also beaten Wolves, Arsenal and Leicester in recent trips.
Team News:
Chelsea: The Blues only injury concern is Hakim Ziyech out with his hamstring who was due back a week ago but hasn’t been risked. He is 50/50 for this game but may miss out, he will face a late test.
Aston Villa: Tyrone Mings is suspended after he was sent off at the weekend. Ross Barkley cannot face his parent club. Trezeguet and Wesley are out long term.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa Head to Head:
Last season Chelsea won this fixture 2-1.
Chelsea have beaten Aston Villa six times in a row in the league.
Aston Villa have not won at Chelsea since 2011.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa Prediction:
Chelsea have a good recent record over Aston Villa and the Blues last home game, a commanding 3-0 win over West Ham should give them some confidence returning to home. Also it is sure that the players would have received quite a wash down from Lampard after their defeat at Arsenal. One would think that the players will be ready for this encounter.
However Aston Villa are a strong team, they are in good form, and have lost only by narrow margins other than against Leeds. This match could be a potential banana skin for Chelsea. Though we have to respect Chelsea’s overall home form it might be worth taking Villa on for the handicap.
Anwar El Ghazi for Villa is full of confidence and a small stake on him to score could be very good value.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (+1 Aston Villa) at 1.70
Both teams to score at 1.57
Anytime goalscorer: Anwar El Ghazi at 4.00
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