Chelsea vs Aston Villa: Preview and Prediciton

Published by William | Filed under Football (aka soccer), Predictions, Premier League, Previews

Aston Villa and Chelsea square off a must win fixture for both sides this Saturday at Stamford Bridge.

---

Follow the actions as it unfolds with WSN’s Livescore!


3/27 15:00 GMT Aston Villa at Chelsea – Odds | Stats


After an early and disappointing departure from the Champions League Round of 16, Chelsea will now be solely focused on winning the Premiership title and must gear up for a string of tough matches as the season heads into the final stretch. They face a difficult foe in Aston Villa this Saturday, who has plenty to fight for themselves as they battle Liverpool, Tottenham, and Manchester City for the final Champions League qualification spot.


Chelsea:


With the Champions League crown no longer an option, Carlos Ancelotti’s club will devout their full attention to the Premiership title as they now trail rivals Manchester United by one point. They face the defending champions next Saturday at Old Trafford in what can very well be a championship deciding fixture but first they must take on an extremely formidable opponent in Aston Villa. Chelsea must be careful not to get caught looking ahead. It’s important for them to approach every fixture from this point on as if it were their last of the season if they wish to maintain their course in the title race because it certainly doesn’t appear the United is slowing down anytime soon. Unfortunately for the Blues, they have truly been bitten by the injury bug at a very inopportune time, something they have managed to avoid all season. Most recently, Branislav Ivanovic, who was filling in for the already injured Jose Bosingwa, suffered torn ligament in his knee and is expected to be out for a month. Furthermore, they were already experiencing problems in the back without Ashley Cole who is expected to miss the remainder of the season. On a positive note, Michael Essien is expected to return and perhaps that will provide a boost in the attacking third.


Aston Villa:


Aston Villa is in a four-headed title race for the final Champions League qualification spot in the highly coveted top 4, yet still have the most work to do as they sit in 7th place, 4 points behind Tottenham. They could put themselves in a wonderful position if they are able to claim the upset this weekend in Stamford Bridge as the Spurs must host both the Blues and Arsenal in the next 2 weeks. Villa also will be looking to gain some insight on Chelsea as they have a looming FA Cup semifinal fixture with them on April 10th. Much like the Blues, Villa is dealing with a string of injuries that could very well impact their chance of claiming 3 points at Stamford Bridge. Leading scorer Gabriel Agbonlahor is already sidelined with a foot injury which has ruled him out of the last two matches after he had previously been suffering with a groin strain. To further add to the mounting problems fellow striker Emile Heskey, midfielder James Milner and central defender Richard Dunne are all to have scans to determine the extent of their Achilles tendon injuries following Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland.


Prediction:


This is truly a must win for both clubs as the Premiership season hits the final stretch. It’s unfair to say who this match is more important for but in terms of job security, Carlos Ancelotti may need this one a little more. It would not surprise me if Chelsea got caught looking ahead to their date in Old Trafford but after being booted from the Champions League by Inter, I would assume they may be a bit more focused this time around. While Chelsea is sure to be featuring somewhat of a depleted lineup in the back, Villa will be featuring a bit of the same in the attacking third which doesn’t help their chances at all. Will be an interesting fixture to say the least but I expect to Chelsea to finally get their act together this weekend.


Pick:


Chelsea 2 – 0 Aston Villa


Bet of the Match:


Chelsea at 1.44 from Betsson