Prediction: Chelsea vs Aston Villa

1st January 2011

Chelsea ended the six-match winless run with a lucky victory over Bolton, but the Blues should have much easier job now that they have ended the barren run. Aston Villa remained on the brink of the relegation zone as they were hammered by Manchester City, and Villans definitely enter this match low on confidence.

Following a magnificent start to the season, Chelsea suffered a major dip in form that lasted almost two months and saw them almost drop out of the title race, but the Blues can now be happy the dismal run is finally over. In all fairness, Carlo Ancelotti’s side didn’t show much against Bolton last time out and were at times outplayed by the Trotters but they still recorded a morale boosting win that will keep them in good stead before the Aston Villa game. Things are definitely looking up for the Blues as Nicolas Anelka swiftly recovered from a knee injury, while Frank Lampard is slowly raising his form after returning from injury, so everything suggests Chelsea will soon start playing to their potential. Young Jeffrey Bruma is likely to replace suspended Branislav Ivanovic in the starting line-up, while Daniel Sturridge could return to contention. Alex, Benayoun, Mikel and Zhirkov, however, remain sidelined.

Aston Villa are probably the biggest underachievers this season, seeing that instead of fighting for the European places the Villans sit just above the bottom three. The team were always going to have problems without long-serving manager Martin O’Neill, but I bet Villa fans hoped for better results under Gerard Houllier. The results failed to improve even when some key players returned to contention following the lengthy spell on the sidelines, so Villa will clearly need some more time to start proving their worth. The mere fact Aston Villa lost six out of last seven games doesn’t give Gerard Houllier much reason for optimism before the clash with Chelsea, even if Ashley Young and Emile Heskey are set for a return to the starting eleven. Stiliyan Petrov could also start after coming on as a sub against Tottenham, but Luke Young is not yet ready for a comeback.

Conclusion

Chelsea players lifted a big weight off their shoulders with the win over Bolton and that game could mark the start of another good run of results. Aston Villa have been utterly disappointing this season and they don’t look capable of getting anything from Stamford Bridge.

Verdict: Home win Chelsea (1)

Best Odds: 2/7

Bookmaker: Paddy Power