Prediction: Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 29/10

Bookmaker: Luckster

Chelsea will attempt to halt Aston Villa’s remarkable 10-match winning streak across all competitions when Unai Emery’s side visit Stamford Bridge for Saturday’s tea-time Premier League clash.

Enzo Maresca’s men already trail the surprise title contenders by seven points, and a defeat in West London could leave the Blues facing a steep climb in their pursuit of a top-three finish, with rivals for fourth place closing in.

Chelsea

When Chelsea held Arsenal to a hard-fought 1-1 draw with ten men at the end of November, they sat third in the table, level on 24 points with Villa, just one behind Manchester City and six adrift of Mikel Arteta’s leaders.

Four gameweeks later, the picture looks very different. The Blues have collected only five points from a possible 12, leaving them seven behind Villa, eight behind City, and a daunting 10 points off Arsenal. This slide stems from a dip in form, with Chelsea winning only one of their last four league matches—a 2-0 success over Everton—after previously stringing together three consecutive victories before that draw with the Gunners.

There was some resilience on display last time out, as Maresca’s side fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United. However, they remain winless in their last three away league fixtures. Returning to Stamford Bridge should offer comfort: Chelsea have taken seven points from their last three home games, including clean-sheet wins over Wolves (3-0) and Everton (2-0).

Still, defeats to Brighton and Sunderland earlier in the season underline their vulnerability at home—a weakness Villa will look to exploit. A loss here could see Chelsea slip out of the top four, with Liverpool level on 29 points and Sunderland just two points behind in sixth.

Team News

Liam Delap and Estevao Willian return to contention, leaving Dario Essugo, Romeo Lavia, and long-term absentee Levi Colwill as the only injury concerns. Cole Palmer’s availability gives Maresca options, though his preferred big-game tactic of deploying Reece James in midfield alongside Moises Caicedo—freeing Enzo Fernandez to push forward—may require adjustment.

James could revert to right-back, drifting inside during possession phases, with Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, and Wesley Fofana forming the in-possession back three.

Aston Villa

Villa’s transformation under Emery has been extraordinary. After a poor start—two defeats and three draws in their opening five games, failing to score in the first four—they turned the corner with a 1-1 draw at Sunderland in September. Since then, they have amassed 33 points from a possible 36, winning 11 of their last 12 league matches.

This surge has propelled Villa to third place, just one point behind City and three off Arsenal. If results go their way—Arsenal losing to Brighton and City failing to beat Nottingham Forest—Villa could finish the weekend joint-top. Confidence will be high, especially given their recent record at Stamford Bridge: two wins in their last three visits, 2-0 and 1-0 victories in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Villa’s current form is unmatched. Only City can rival their five-game winning streak, and no team comes close to their 27 points from the last 10 matches—City have 24 in that span. Emery’s men have every reason to believe they can stun Chelsea again.

Team News

Harvey Elliott is ill but was unlikely to feature. Ross Barkley (knee), Tyrone Mings (hamstring), and Pau Torres (calf) remain sidelined. Evann Guessand is unavailable after being called up to replace Sebastien Haller in Ivory Coast’s AFCON squad.

Morgan Rogers, who has scored braces against West Ham and Manchester United in consecutive rounds, will look to continue his hot streak in London.

Head-to-Head

Chelsea and Aston Villa have met 162 times in all competitions. Chelsea lead with 66 wins to Villa’s 59, while 37 matches have ended in draws.

Villa have enjoyed recent success at Stamford Bridge, winning two of their last three visits, and will aim to extend that run against a Chelsea side desperate to regain momentum.

Conclusion

Maresca thrives on big occasions and will have a plan to frustrate Villa, as shown by Chelsea’s resilience against Arsenal and Newcastle. However, Emery’s side are one of the league’s form teams, and their knack for converting low-probability chances could serve them well in West London.

This one looks set to be tight, and a share of the spoils may be on the cards.

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 29/10

Bookmaker: Luckster