Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Chelsea and Aston Villa are set to square off in an exciting mid-table Premier League match-up at Stamford Bridge.

With nothing but pride left to play for in the Premier League following a thoroughly underwhelming season, Chelsea found their feet too little too late, going unbeaten in three consecutive league matches (W2, D1) before the international break curtailed their momentum. Graham Potter’s men still have an outside chance to secure European placings, with sixth-placed Liverpool four points away. However, after splashing out upward of £300 million in January, a Europa League finish would hardly satisfy the hierarchy’s lofty ambitions. But a return of two wins from their last three league games that’s equaled their haul from their previous 15 top-flight outings combined is a step in the right direction. The ‘Pensioners’ may add another one to the tally this weekend, at least based on their jaw-dropping run of nine wins in their last 11 Premier League meetings with Villa (D1, L1).

Meanwhile, Aston Villa breezed past lowly Bournemouth 3-0 ahead of the international break, extending their impressive unbeaten league form to four games (W3, D1). Level on points with tenth-placed Chelsea, Villa could take a decisive step toward securing a first top-half finish in the Premier League since 2010/11 with a win here. However, it’d have to come at long odds, given that the ‘Lions’ have mustered just one victory on their last 17 Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge (D4, L12), doing so in 2012! Flying out of the traps would likely boost their hopes of beating the odds, especially considering their last three league victories have come ‘to nil,’ highlighting the significance of breaking the deadlock.