Aston Villa Vs Chelsea Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | Premier League

Aston Villa Vs Chelsea Preview

• Tournament: Premier League
• Date: Saturday, February 22
• Kick-off time: 5:30 pm GMT
• Venue: Villa Park, England

Aston Villa locks horns with another powerhouse Chelsea in round 26 of Premier League action. The home team will be eyeing to return to winning ways after playing out two consecutive draws in a row.

Aston Villa are starting to look like a strong team with the arrivals in the winter window. The addition of Marcus Rashford has brought a new dimension to their attack evident by their performance against Liverpool in the midweek. Unai Emery's side are lurking ninth in the table having accumulated 39 points from 26 matches. Defensively they have looked fragile having conceded 40 times as compared to scoring just 37. Although they are unbeaten in three matches, they have just managed to gather five points with two draws and one win. Ollie Watkins has stepped up this season as he leads both the goals and assists chart with 12 and 5 respectively.

Meanwhile, Chelsea after an outstanding start are struggling at the moment. They have gathered just nine points from the last nine matches which has seen them drop to sixth in the table. From fighting for the title race to dropping outside of the top four things are looking great for them. While they haven't been at their best defensively, their attacking play doesn't help either. However, they have the quality in their squad particularly Cole Palmer who is leading the charts for them in the attacking third with 14 goals and 6 assists to inspire them to a victory here.

Aston Villa Team News

Aston Villa are dealing with several injury issues at the moment and are particularly short at the back. The injury to Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres has particularly hampered their defensive instability. The other players missing the tie are Amadou Onana, Boubacar Kamara, Leon Bailey, and Ross Barkley. However, Ollie Watkins and Marcus Rashford are expected to keep their place after an impressive showing in the last match. Elsewhere, Axel Disasi will be unable to face his parent club due to a loan clause.

Chelsea Team News

There is a serious crisis in the Chelsea ranks with Nicolas Jackson, Marc Guiu, and Noni Madueke the latest to join the list. The other players missing out are Romeo Lavia, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana, and Malo Gusto who remains a major doubt for participation. Enzo Maresca will be relying on Cole Palmer to provide the goals as he has been this all season.

Aston Villa Vs Chelsea Predicted Lineups

Aston Villa Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Martinez
Defenders: Garcia, Bogarde, Mings, Digne
Midfielders: McGinn, Tielemans
Forwards: Asensio, Rogers, Rashford; Watkins

Chelsea predicted lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Sanchez
Defenders: James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella
Midfielders: Fernandez, Caicedo
Forwards: Neto, Palmer, Sancho, Nkunku

Aston Villa Vs Chelsea Head-to-Head Record

These two sides have faced each other 167 times before this match with Aston Villa coming on top 60 times, drawing 37 and losing another 70 times.

Key Players to Watch in Aston Villa Vs Chelsea

Ollie Watkins ( Aston Villa)

Ollie Watkins is currently the leading scorer for Unai Emery’s side with 12 goals in the league while also laying on five assists. It was his goal against Liverpool that gave them the lead marking two consecutive goals in a row. The England international has been scoring goals regularly and has an xG of 0.62 from the last five matches in the league.

Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

Cole Palmer has been a sensation for the Blues ever since he signed for them. Already considered one of the best players in the Premier League right now, he will be hoping to get back on the score sheet. This season, he has 14 goals to his name in 25 matches while he has an xG of 0.51 from the last five matches.

Aston Villa Vs Chelsea Prediction

Aston Villa will fancy their chances against the Blues considering the form they are in. They also have strengthened the team and look like a solid team on paper. However, their defense will have to step up here as they are missing several key players in that department.

As for Chelsea, pressure is slowly mounting on the shoulders after losing consecutive matches against Brighton. Goalscoring has been a major problem for them lately with Nicolas Jackson also ruled out. Nevertheless, if they produce their top form, they can come out with the victory here given their recent record against them.

Predicted Score: Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea

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