Aston Villa and Chelsea both lost in the previous round, but in very different ways. The hosts were left with a much more bitter feeling.
Aston Villa
This is because they lost to bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers, who had previously recorded only one league victory all season, and that was against a direct rival. Wolverhampton then defeated the side that had been third in the standings. Backers of the visitors nearly quintupled their stake. As a result, they slipped to a 0:2 defeat and surrendered that position for the first time in 15 matchdays. The hosts have won only once in their last five league fixtures, collecting five points.
Of course, the absences of Youri Tielemans and John McGinn do not go unnoticed, but even so the hosts look short of energy and ideas.
Chelsea
Chelsea, by contrast, lost where it was expected – at the Emirates Stadium. Their winless run against Arsenal has now stretched to nine matches. In the corner‑kick battle the hosts came out on top, 2:1. You always expect that from Arsenal, but expecting it does not mean being able to deal with it.
Their opponents are not as impressive at set pieces (11) as Arsenal (19), but they concede fewer goals from them (9) than Chelsea do (14). In addition, in the derby Liam Rosenior’s side lost Pedro Neto, who will now join Wesley Fofana in the stands.
Aston Villa vs Chelsea Prediction
Two problematic teams will meet here, both of whom have forgotten how to win. Occasionally they manage it, but it is unclear when they will do it again. What is clear is that both have issues in defence. On top of that, each of the last five head‑to‑head meetings between these sides has produced at least three goals, which points us towards only one option – the over 2.5 goals.
