STAR FOOTBALL PREVIEW Wed: Aston Villa v Chelsea

Aston Villa must pick themselves up after losing their unbeaten Premier League home record in lacklustre fashion against Newcastle…

After 16 matches played this season at the start of December, questions were being asked whether Unai Emery was beginning to pull off a miracle of all miracles as they sat in 3rd place just two points off leaders Liverpool.

To get to this point, they overcame the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, and Spurs in the space of two weeks.

You can read what Star Sports ambassador and talksport chief correspondent Alex Crook thought about Villa’s chances at that time HERE.

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ASTON VILLA V CHELSEA
FA Cup
Villa Park
20.00 ITV, STV, ITVX

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
(Maximum 10 matches – 10 years)
JAN 2024 FA CUP Chelsea 0-0 Aston Villa
SEP 2023 PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea 0-1 Aston Villa
APR 2023 PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea 0-2 Aston Villa
DEC 2022 CLUB FRIENDLY Chelsea 0-1 Aston Villa
OCT 2022 PREMIER LEAGUE Aston Villa 0-2 Chelsea
DEC 2021 PREMIER LEAGUE Aston Villa 1-3 Chelsea
SEP 2021 EFL CUP Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa
SEP 2021 PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa
MAY 2021 PREMIER LEAGUE Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea
DEC 2020 PREMIER LEAGUE Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa

Although the Villains are still within touching distance just five points off Liverpool, the dream is looking slightly less likely now.

Aston Villa’s only home Premier League defeat all season came at the hands of Eddie Howe when going down 3-1 to Newcastle with one of the worst away records in the league this season. It was a messy affair and both teams had their chances, but that performance has put me off backing the home side today.

The last time these two faced just under two weeks ago, it was a tale of near misses and busy goalkeepers as both teams seemed to be flying on the counterattack and couldn’t finish their dinner. Despite the goalless scoreline it could’ve been a lot different had Palmer overcome his persistent difficulty in finishing.

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With that said, Palmer is showing gradual signs of improvement with 4 goals in his last five outings and despite the odd howling miss, his overall ratings support the recent upward curve.

Nicolas Jackson is available to play a full 90 minutes for the first time since his Cup of Nations absence and starting on bench last time against Wolves. Chelsea also have an extra day off after this match compared to the home side.

The Blues’ 4-2 defeat to Wolverhampton most recently was the first time I heard chat from football fans about the removal of Mauricio Pochettino and he’s now as short as 5/2 with some firms to be the next Premier League manager to leave.

On one side I understand the Todd Boehly money taps haven’t worked as intended and someone must be blamed. But after Tuchel, Potter, and Lampard were all unsuccessful in the last three seasons, would a new gaffa really magically convert this side into winners and fulfill their potential based on spending in recent transfer windows?

The FA Cup as well as their upcoming EFL Cup final is Pochettino’s only chance of silverware this season and one of these two (or both?) could be the saving grace of Chelsea’s disastrous season that has them 11th in the Premier League.

VERDICT
I think today could be the day to buy the dip on Chelsea and there hasn’t been a better time to go against Aston Villa all season than now, with Emery’s men winning just two of their last five matches in all competitions. The Newcastle defeat has been a real turn-off for me and beating rock-bottom Sheffield United and scraping a 1-0 win at Boro at the turn of the year isn’t filling me with confidence for the arguably overbet home side. I’m backing Chelsea to win at 12/5 with starsports.bet

I see this game being the opposite of the scoreline that was seen in the first leg draw, with Villa and Chelsea being involved with 11 and 9 goals in their last 2 games respectively. Therefore, both teams to score in both halves is an appealing bet at 15/2 with starsports.bet

LEWIS WILLIAMS

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