Aston Villa vs Chelsea has been an one sided fixture in recent years: Chelsea have lost only once in last eight Premier League meetings. Although the defending champions struggled to get results in this wretched campaign, they still managed a straightforward 2-0 win against the Claret and Blues in the previous meeting at Stamford Bridge.
Villa are in deep trouble and going to be relegated ( for the first time in their history) after a dismal campaign. They sacked Tim Sherwood earlier and appointed former Lyon manager Remi Garde for the remainder of the season. Things did not change much and Villa are currently at bottom of the league table with only 16 points from 31 fixtures, 9 points below the 19th placed Newcastle United and 12 points below the 17th placed Norwich City. As a result, Villa management sacked Garde during the international break, and appointed Eric Black as caretaker manager for the last 7 fixtures, their 3rd manager so far in this dreadful season.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are now 10th in the league table with 41 points from 30 games. Their season is already over as they are knocked out from UEFA Champions League and all the domestic cup competitions, whereas, their hope of defending the Premier League title was over months ago. An Europa league spot is all to play for now as they are 6 points below the 7th placed Southampton and have definite chances to finish in top 7 to register their place in the qualifying rounds of the second-tier European Competition.
Aston Villa vs Chelsea Injury Update and Suspensions:
Aston Villa are currently on a 6 match losing streak and set to miss several first team players due to injuries and suspension. Club captain Gabriel Agbonlahor is one of them who is suspended for indefinite period due to internal disciplinary matter. Jordan Amavi and Libor Kozak are out for the rest of the season with their respective knee and and foot injuries. Micah Richards, Adama Traore and Jack Grealish all are doubts for the Chelsea game due to injury.
Chelsea will miss their controversial forward Diego Costa who was sent-off during their 2-0 FA Cup defeat against Everton for improper conduct. He originally received two match automatic ban as it was considered to be his second dismissal of the season after he was given a three-match ban for altercations with Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel in September. He missed the West Ham game before the international break and set to miss this fixture as well. As per the latest reports, he will now serve an additional one-match ban and has been fined £20,000 after admitting a charge of improper conduct.
Chelsea will also miss the service of Kurt Zouma who is out for the remainder of the season with ACL injury along with Eden Hazard as the Belgian’s forgettable season has been marred by injuries lately. Radamel Falcao is still out, but youngster Kenedy is expected to feature after recovering from a facial injury.
Aston Villa vs Chelsea Probable Lineups:
Aston Villa:
Subs: Mark Bunn, Ciaran Clerk, Kieran Richardson, Leandro Bacuna, Jordan Ayew, Jordan Lyden, Ashley Westwood.
Chelsea:
Subs: Asmir Begovic, Bertrand Traore, Baba Rahman, Bertrand Traore, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Alexandre Pato, Pedro.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Key Players: No Villa player has impressed this season. Though their new boss will rely on Scott Sinclair, Carles Gil and Jordan Ayew who have some past moments of individual brilliance.
Willian is the only Chelsea player who has been consistent throughout the season. The interim boss Guss Hiddink will mostly rely on him once again to have three good points in this comparatively easy fixture.
Last Meeting: Their last meeting ended in a 2-0 victory in favor of the Blues. Diego Costa and Alan Hutton ( own goal) were the scores.
Recent form: Aston Villa: L-L-L-L-L-L, Chelsea: D-L-L-D-W-W.
Aston Villa vs Chelsea Betting Odds:
Chelsea: 4/7 Draw: 11/4 Aston Villa: 11/2
What is your prediction for the Aston Villa vs Chelsea game? Let us know in the comments
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