Aston Villa - Chelsea predictions and free betting tips [27/04/2024]

On Thursday, 25th April, as part of the 35th round of the Premier League, Aston Villa will host Chelsea at their ground. While the Villains beat Bournemouth 3:1 over the past weekend and secured their place in the champions league bracket, the London side lost 5:0 to Arsenal in a derby on Tuesday evening.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa occupies the 4th place in the Premier League table and, having two games in hand, lags behind the top five by 6 points. In the last 6 rounds, the Villains lost only to Manchester City (4:1), winning thrice and drawing twice. After a victory at the Emirates against Arsenal (0:2), Unai Emery's wards confirmed their Champions League intentions last weekend, defeating Bournemouth (3:1), with the deciders coming from Morgan Rodgers, Moussa Diaby, and Leon Bailey. Only the current trio of Premier League leaders have earned more points on their home ground at this stage of the season than Aston Villa (38), who have also won four of their last five games at Villa Park in all competitions. In the Conference League, the Claret and Blue had to work their socks off to overcome Lille, and now in the semi-finals, they will come up against Olympiakos.

Injured amongst the hosts are key central defender Mings, left-back Moreno, midfield anchor Kamara, and wingers Buendia and Ramsey. In addition, the physical readiness of Italian winger Zaniolo is under question. The good news relates to the return of Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz (9 goals, 5 assists) post-suspension. Rodgers (2 goals and 1 assist in the last 4 matches), Diaby (6 goals, 7 assists), and Bailey (10 goals, 9 assists) all scored over the past weekend and are intent on returning to the starting line-up, supporting Watkins (19 goals, 12 assists) at the front. Diego Carlos or Clement Lenglet will solidify the Claret and Blue defence, while Martinez will keep guard in goal.

Chelsea

After another disappointing season, Chelsea occupies the 9th place in the Premier League table with one game in hand and lags six points behind the top six. A European cup ticket is still achievable, but it will take a considerable effort to obtain. Last week, the Blues suffered a crushing defeat against Arsenal, losing 5:0: Leandro Trossard put the Gunners ahead right at the derby's debut, after which Kai Havertz and Ben White scored doubles in the second half. This cut short a positive streak of eight games without a defeat (4 wins, 4 draws). It's noteworthy that Chelsea has only won two out of their last eight away Premier League games, losing five and drawing twice. The Blues have been unsuccessful in the domestic cup competitions under Mauricio Pochettino, but they have made it to the League Cup final and the FA Cup semi-final.

This weekend Chelsea will have to do without many players because of injuries. on the injury list. Reserve goalkeeper Sanchez, defenders James, Colville, and Fofana, midfielders Lavia and Ugbo, alongside forward Nkunku are recuperating. Additionally, Enzo Fernandez, a key midfielder, received a serious injury in the derby, and his stand-in will be Carni Chukwuemeka. Lastly, the physical readiness of defenders Malo Gusto and Chilwell, as well as Cole Palmer (20 goals, 9 assists), remains uncertain. On Tuesday, the Blues' defence let down against the Frenchmen Disasi and Badiashile, while Senegal forward Nicolas Jackson (10 goals, 4 assists) has been dreadful leading the attack in recent weeks, spilling chances like a philanthropist.

Head-to-Head

Chelsea lost the last two league matches against Aston Villa, but they overran the Birmingham team 1:3 in the 1/16 finals of the FA Cup in February.

Match prediction: Aston Villa - Chelsea

The potential return of the Premier League's leading scorer Palmer would be a tremendous boost for Chelsea, as Aston Villa has suffered only two defeats in the past 11 league rounds. Nonetheless, given the visitors' current crisis and the demoralising recent loss in the derby, it's unlikely the side from London has the morale to upset Emery's team fighting for the Champions League zone on their turf. My prediction – a victory for the Claret and Blue with a handicap of 0.