Saturday’s late kick-off in the Premier League sees one of the season’s surprise packages entertain one of the biggest disappointments.
Champions League chasers Aston Villa welcome mid-table languishers Chelsea to Villa Park, with 19 points separating the two sides in the table.
Can the Villains enhance their top-four ambitions? Or will the Blues cause an upset? Continue reading to discover what Forebet’s AI algorithm predicts for Saturday’s clash.
Masterclass. 🔥The best of Ollie Watkins' POTM performance on Sunday. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Zx02HCwDR0— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 23, 2024
Masterclass. 🔥The best of Ollie Watkins' POTM performance on Sunday. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Zx02HCwDR0
Aston Villa came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-1 last time out, courtesy of goals from Morgan Rogers, Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey.
Unai Emery’s men have now won six of their previous 10 Premier League encounters, recording two draws and two defeats along the way.
The Villains have been especially strong at Villa Park this season, winning 12 of their 17 Premier League matches on home soil.
Better still, Aston Villa have scored 43 league goals at Villa Park this term, meaning they average 2.5 goals per home game. Can they heap more misery on Chelsea’s defence?
On Tuesday, Mauricio Pochettino’s side suffered a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal, conceding a whopping 27 shots at the Emirates Stadium.
That loss ended an eight-game unbeaten streak for Chelsea in the Premier League, with four wins and four draws coming between mid-February and mid-April.
The Blues have been wildly inconsistent this season, especially on the road, recording five wins, four draws and seven defeats in 16 away league outings.
To make matters worse for Chelsea, they have conceded 32 goals on their travels, meaning they are conceding at a rate of two goals per away game.
Head-to-head: Across the past six Premier League meetings between Aston Villa and Chelsea, both sides have recorded three wins and three defeats.
It is also worth noting that Chelsea have won each of their last three matches at Villa Park, triumphing in 2021 and 2022 before winning 3-1 in the FA Cup back in February.
Team news: Aston Villa’s injury list features Boubacar Kamara, Emiliano Buendia, Tyrone Mings, Jacob Ramsey, Alex Moreno and Nicolo Zaniolo.
As for Chelsea, Cole Palmer is a doubt due to illness, while Ben Chilwell, Levi Colwill, Christopher Nkunku, Reece James, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana are injured.
When you couple Aston Villa’s strong home record with Chelsea’s inconsistent away form, all the signs point towards a win for Emery’s men.
Forebet predicts that Aston Villa will net over 2.5 goals on their way to defeating Chelsea, although both teams are expected to score.