Chelsea welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Monday, with Dean Smith’s side currently sitting ahead of the Blues on goal difference.
Both teams have picked up 25 points, but Villa have two games in hand over Frank Lampard’s men, as well as a superior goal difference.
A poor run of three defeats in four games has seen Chelsea slide down the standing over the past couple of weeks.
Back-to-back defeats to Everton and Wolves came earlier in December, before a 3-0 victory over London rivals West Ham temporarily stopped the rot.
However, Lampard’s side lost 3-1 to struggling Arsenal on Boxing Day, handing the Gunners their first league win in eight attempts.
Despite enjoying 61% possession and racking up 19 shots, the Blues only managed to register three shots on target at the Emirates Stadium.
Chelsea were 2-0 down at half-time and conceded again early in the second half, before Tammy Abraham netted a consolation goal late on.
On the flip side, Aston Villa head into Monday’s clash having overtaken Chelsea in the table following three wins in their last four outings.
Villa claimed a 1-0 victory over Wolves a fortnight ago, before recording a goalless draw against Burnley.
Dean Smith’s men returned to winning ways with a 3-0 win over West Brom, before beating Crystal Palace by the same scoreline on Boxing Day.
"It's an outstanding three points." 🙌Dean Smith's post-match thoughts! 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/i9XFV1ME1n— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 26, 2020
"It's an outstanding three points." 🙌Dean Smith's post-match thoughts! 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/i9XFV1ME1n
Despite having Tyrone Mings sent off just before half-time, Villa were able to add two goals to Bertrand Traore’s early strike in the second half.
Goals from Kortney Hause and Anwar El Ghazi completed an impressive victory for the Villains, who ended the match with 21 shots (ten on target).
Villa now have the second-best defensive record in the division, with goalkeeper Emi Martinez keeping the most clean sheets in the league (eight).
Head-to-head: Chelsea have claimed six straight victories over Aston Villa, scoring over 1.5 goals on every occasion.
In fact, the Blues have won ten of their previous 11 matches against Villa, with the Villains sole victory during that period coming back in 2014.
Team news: Chelsea’s injury list has shortened in recent weeks, with Hakim Ziyech the only doubt for Monday’s matchup.
Tyrone Mings will be absent through suspension for Villa, while Trezeguet, Ross Barkley and Wesley are all injured.
Villa may have overtaken Chelsea in the table, but it is difficult to ignore the Blues’ record against the Villains in recent years.
However, Forebet predicts that Aston Villa will edge Chelsea on Monday.