Chelsea - Aston Villa predictions and free betting tips [26/01/2024]

On Friday 26 January, within the 1/16 finals of the English Cup, Chelsea will host Aston Villa at the Stamford Bridge. Thanks to a resounding 6:1 triumph over Middlesbrough last Tuesday, Chelsea secured a League Cup final spot, whilst coincidentally, the visitors overcame the same opponent in the third round of the FA Cup.

Predicted Lineups

Chelsea: Petrovic; Disasi, Badiashile, Colwill, Chilwell; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Gallagher, Palmer; Broja.
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Moreno; Bailey, Luiz, Kamara, McGinn; Watkins, Duran.

Venue

The clash is set to take place in London at Stamford Bridge Stadium.

Chelsea

In the previous round of the FA Cup Chelsea effortlessly defeated Preston at home with a score of 4:0. Although possessing a high-quality squad, the Londoners haven't lived up to expectations in the Premier League. They currently occupy the 9th spot in the league standings, and will need to double their efforts to secure a European ticket through their domestic campaign. Nonetheless, Mauricio Pochettino's side has significantly improved over the past few weeks, winning their last 3 premier league matches against Crystal Palace (2:1), Luton Town (2:3) and Fulham (1:0). Last Tuesday, they crushed Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge in the semi-finals of the League Cup, with a double from Cole Palmer and goals from Jonathan Hauson, Axel Disasi, Enzo Fernandez and Noni Madueke.

Interesting fact: Chelsea boasts an 8-match winning streak at home in the FA Cup. The last time they got ousted from the tournament at the 1/16 finals stage was nine years ago. Injuries have ruled out many of Chelsea's players including Sanchez and James, long-absent defender Fofana, Cucurella, Lavia and Ugbo, summer recruit Nkunku and defensive midfielder Casadei. In addition, main striker Jackson (7 goals) is currently with the Senegal national team at the African Cup of Nations. Pochettino fielded a highly competitive side in the previous round of the English Cup. As such, we can certainly expect the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Raheem Sterling (5 goals and 3 assists) and Cole Palmer (9 goals and 4 assists) to start.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa had a challenging previous round as they narrowly defeated Middlesbrough 0:1 thanks to a goal from Matty Cash in the 87th minute. The last time Aston Villa won an away match in the English Cup against a Premier League team was 24 years ago. Currently occupying the 4th spot in the standings with a 3-point advantage over the 5th place, this Birmingham-based club is one of the revelations of the English season and is vying for Champions League qualification. However, since their impressive autumn campaign, Unai Emery's charges have slackened their pace, winning only one out of the last 4 Premier League matches, drawing twice and losing once. Having topped their Europa Conference League group, Aston Villa advanced directly to the 1/8 finals and can now focus on their domestic campaign till March.

Injury concerns continue for the visitors, with key left-back Lucas Digne, Mings and Buendia as well as second-choice goalkeeper Olsen all sidelined due to injuries. Furthermore, winger Bertrand Traore is partaking in the African Cup of Nations for Burkina Faso, while central defender Pau Torres has not recovered from a minor injury. Aston Villa's main attacking threat lies with Ollie Watkins (9 goals and 8 assists) who is sure to start the match. After a disappointing performance from Moussa Diaby against Everton in the previous Premier League match, Emery may be tempted to start Yona Duran on the flank and the experienced Matty Cash in defence.

Head-to-head

In 2023, Villa enjoyed back-to-back victories over the London-based giants. Moreover, Villa already claimed an away victory this season with a score of 0:1.

Prediction for Chelsea - Aston Villa

The visitors come into this match in good physical shape, considering that Aston Villa has had 11 days rest, whereas Chelsea played against Middlesbrough this week. However, the Londoners have been on a tear this winter, racking up seven consecutive home victories. Given Pochettino's depth of rotation, there are strong grounds to believe the hosts will seek revenge for their September league defeat.

Total goals prediction

In their last four matches in all competitions, Chelsea have conceded only 2 goals, while Villa failed to score against Everton this month. My prediction goes for less than 1 goal for the away team.