Premier League: Steven Gerrard Under Enormous Pressure to Deliver at Villa Park

Aston Villa vs Chelsea

Steven Gerrard is on the coaching hot seat right now and it doesn’t help that his team has Chelsea next on their menu.

Aston Villa are currently 16^th at the Premier League table with only nine points, and another poor result at home might put them down in the dreaded relegation zone.

Chelsea, meanwhile, look rejuvenated under Graham Potter. The Blues are unbeaten since his appointment and they’re at fourth place in the standings with 16 points.

The gulf between Aston Villa and Chelsea may be large, but their recent meetings indicate that this is going to be another competitive match that football fans will enjoy.

Continue to read on below for the match preview courtesy of SBOTOP.

Talking Points

Aston Villa might axe Steven Gerrard

Aston Villa owners are reportedly mulling about sacking Gerrard since he hasn’t produced the positive Premier League 2022 results that they need in order to contend for a top half position.

The Villans have been struggling to put teams away which has resulted to three draws in their last four league games. Their lack of a cutting edge in the final third has been evident as they have the second fewest goals in the English top-flight (7) as of this writing.

Leading scorers Danny Ings, Leon Bailey, Douglas Luiz, and Ollie Watkins haven’t scored for more than a month now, while Philippe Coutinho has been heavily criticised for his poor displays this season.

It may not be all Gerrard’s fault because he has been dealt with a string of injuries as Diego Carlos, Boubacar Kamara, Lucas Digne, and Jed Steer are all sidelined for long spells. However, that’s just the tough reality for football coaches.

Chelsea are rolling under Graham Potter

The Graham Potter era at Stamford Bridge is off to a brisk start as they have yet to lose a game under his guidance with four wins and one draw in their last five games across all competitions.

Not much has changed tactics-wise since they’re still a possession-based team with a little bit of Pep Guardiola’s attacking philosophy. But perhaps what Chelsea needed all along was a new voice and Todd Boehly is looking like a genius for making the hire.

One beneficiary of Potter’s arrival is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was offloaded by Barcelona this summer in order to balance their books. The Gabonese international has found his new home in West London as he now has three goals and one assist thus far.

At the same time, Chelsea have been better defencively since they’ve collected three consecutive clean sheets with Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly, Trevoh Chalobah, and Kepa Arrizabalaga all in superb form.

Unfortunately, the Blues will continue to have Wesley Fofana (knee), Reece James (knee), Hakim Ziyech (illness), and N’Golo Kante (thigh) on the sidelines due to fitness issues. But Chelsea have quality players on the bench who are ready to step up when called upon.

History

Villa Park hasn’t been a hostile ground for Chelsea as they’ve beaten Aston Villa in six of their last eight Premier League games there (L2), which is as many as they had in their first 19 visits in the competition (D7, L6).

Moreover, the Villans have won just one of their last 10 league games against the Blues (D1, L8), with their last win being a 2-1 result on the final matchday of the 2020-21 season.

Chelsea achieved a league double over Aston Villa last season with an aggregate tally of 6-1. However, they had a tight battle during their third round encounter at the 2020-21 Carabao Cup.

Timo Werner drew first blood to give the Blues the lead, but Cameron Archer equalised four minutes after the hour mark.

The Blues won by a whisker when they outshot the Villans 4-3 in the penalty shootout. They were eventually limited by runners-up Tottenham in the same fashion in the next round.

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2022 odds are not high on the hosts for this contest. Aston Villa are priced at 4.20 to win, while Chelsea are the favourites at 1.84 and a draw is at 3.50 in the 1X2 market.

Chelsea should come out the gates strong, but the hosts will try to keep it close. The Blues simply have better depth and that should be enough to give them the victory.

Total Goals 2-3 @ 1.90 is an alternative bet that should give you a decent payout since we don’t expect a clean sheet – which has been the case in their recent encounters across all competitions.

 

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