Chelsea will visit Aston Villa on Sunday, as they seek a third straight Premier League win under manager Graham Potter.
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is experiencing a very different set of results at Villa Park.
The ex-Liverpool player is under pressure and leading sportsbooks’ manager favourite to be sacked next. It is believed Aston Villa are lining up Mauricio Pochettino to take over the club.
"We have good players and I believe so much in Aston Villa." 🗣️Catching up with @DGOficial. 🤝— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 13, 2022
"We have good players and I believe so much in Aston Villa." 🗣️Catching up with @DGOficial. 🤝
A loss to Chelsea on Sunday could see Gerrard dumped by Aston Villa less than one year after joining the club. Villa go into round 10 in 16th place, with nine points. They are just three points ahead of the relegation zone.
Chelsea are fourth in the standings. They are on a three-game winning streak ahead of Sunday’s visit to Villa Park.
The Blues are eight points off first place, and a win could move them closer to the top of the table depending on results elsewhere.
The Londoners did the double over Aston Villa last season in the Premier League. Chelsea won 3-0 at Stamford Bridge against Aston Villa and followed it up with a 3-1 win at Villa Park.
Chelsea went unbeaten in five of their last six games versus Aston Villa. Four of the five matches ended in wins.
The Blues took 12 points from the last six matches in the league. They scored 10 goals and conceded eight times across the six fixtures. Aston Villa picked up six points from the last six games in the league. Villa scored just four times in the last six games while conceding five times.
Potter will be without Wesley Fofana for the fixture at Villa Park. Right-back Reece James is a major doubt to play the match. Forward Hakim Ziyech should return for the match after recovering from an illness. Midfielder N’Golo Kante will miss the fixture with a thigh strain.
Gerrard will be without Boubacar Kamara, Ludwig Augustinsson, Lucas Digne, and Diego Carlos due to injuries. Leon Bailey is a major doubt following a muscle injury.
Chelsea did the league double over Aston Villa last season. The Blues should post another win against Aston Villa. The Villains have improved recently with four straight matches ending without a defeat.
The Villains’ last four games ended with under 2.5 goals. Sunday’s home match with Chelsea should end with under 2.5 goals.
The Blues should post a 1-0 win away versus Aston Villa. The win will be Potter’s fourth victory in the league under Potter.