Premier League: Villa’s Top Four Push Could Spell More Trouble for Chelsea

Aston Villa vs Chelsea

When the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Chelsea kicks off at 8pm UK time on Saturday, Blues fans will be hoping they don’t suffer a nasty case of déjà vu.  

Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino watched his team take a 5-0 hammering from Arsenal in the Tuesday 8pm kick-off at the Emirates, and you can guess how his pre-match team talk may start on Saturday.

Unai Emery’s Villa come into the game on the back of a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth, which put them six points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham. The Spurs do have two games in hand, but they face Arsenal in the North London Derby on Sunday, so the Villans have a great chance to strengthen their grip on the Champions League spot this weekend.  

The Premier League 2024 betting odds assure us we’re in for a great game, but they also tell the Blues they will need to show up strongly to avoid another damaging defeat.    

Talking Points

Palmer vs Watkins

These are exciting times for England fans with Euro 2024 on the horizon, as the array of young stars that have blessed Gareth Southgate’s reign as the national head coach is just getting better and better. And two players making a very strong case for a place at the Euros are in the hunt for the Premier League Golden Boot, and they’re both in this match.  

Striker Ollie Watkins has had a sensational season with 19 goals and 12 assists, and he has led the Villa line with real authority. His speed of thought and quick feet help him to open up space for himself and teammates, and he times his runs to perfection, scoring a brilliant goal to clinch a 2-0 win away to Arsenal last week.

Chelsea’s 21-year-old attacking midfielder Cole Palmer has scored a stunning 20 goals and is leading the race for the Golden Boot alongside Erling Haaland, and he too has weighed in with a superb number of assists at nine.

The Manchester City academy star has been the Blues’ shining light this season, and he clearly has a glittering future ahead of him. Palmer was sidelined with illness for the game with Arsenal, so he’ll be welcomed back with open arms on Saturday.   

Watkins and Palmer are two players you can put your money going big in the Premier League 2024 highlights, and they will both have their sights set on more goals.

Luiz back for Villa

Villa fans, and indeed Watkins, will be delighted to see creative midfielder Douglas Luiz back in the team after serving a two-match suspension when he picked up his 10th yellow card of the campaign in a 3-3 draw with Brentford.

Villa fared well enough without him, beating both the Gunners and the Cherries, but they will benefit from his trickery and link-up play which has been so important for the fluidity of their attacking play.

Nicolo Zaniolo has picked up a muscle injury, so he is likely to make way for the Brazilian.  

Pressure is back on Poch  

Chelsea’s trip away to Arsenal turned out to be a nightmare of epic proportions for Pochettino and his team and, after losing rather unluckily to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final, it made it a miserable few days for Blues fans.

Before these two defeats, Chelsea whacked Everton 6-0 as Palmer scored four, but then they have also drawn with bottom club Sheffield United recently. 

This team is a real enigma, in ninth but still in with a chance of a top seven finish. They are young but expensively assembled, and their inconsistency is certainly not helping their manager.

History

The Blues have won 33 to 16 of the head-to-heads in this fixture, and there have been 14 draws in all competitions since 1993.  

This season Villa won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League thanks to a clinical Watkins strike before the Blues took their revenge in a 3-1 FA Cup victory at Villa Park. 

With three wins, two draws, and one defeat, the hosts are in better form than their visitors who have won two, drawn two, and lost two over that period, and the Villains are unbeaten in their last five home games.  

Betting Tip

The pre-match SBOTOP odds price Villa at 2.08, with Chelsea 2.71 and the draw at 3.54, so we expect a hard fought game.

Both teams have huge motivation for this match. The Villains are desperate to gatecrash the Big Six, as Newcastle United did last season, while the Blues want to banish the painful memory of their Tuesday trauma and keep their own European hopes alive.       

You never know which Chelsea are going to turn up, so a 2-2 draw at 10.60 may be a decent long shot. 

 

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