After two weeks without football, Chelsea return to Premier League action this Saturday as they welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues will be desperate to return to winning ways after a disappointing 2-2 draw with a struggling Everton side marked their last game before the international break. The result ended a run of three consecutive wins for Graham Potter’s side, who are still battling to play Champions League football next season.
But with each loss, the Blues find themselves further away from their quest. They currently sit in tenth position, eleven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, having played a game less.
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However, the injury-ravaged London side could now be without as many as five regular starters for the visit of Aston Villa, a side Chelsea have beaten in nine of the last eleven Premier League H2Hs (D1, L1).
Potter’s side would dearly love to extend that run with another victory, but having won just three of their last nine PL home games (D3, L3), Stamford Bridge isn’t the impenetrable fortress it once was. It certainly isn’t the premier spot if entertainment is what fans want, with the stadium producing the fewest total goals (26) of any PL ground this season.
Meanwhile, Villa will come to Stamford Bridge confidently after going undefeated in their last four PL games (W3, D1). If Chelsea can still dream of a top-four finish, the visitors have every right to do the same, given that they are sitting just behind their hosts in eleventh position, with the same number of points on the table.
However, Unai Emery will be more concerned about finishing strong, as his initial objective was avoiding relegation. But a win here will take them into the top half of the table and possibly shift their target for the season to breaking into the top seven and securing a place in Europe next season.
However, considering they’ve lost on six of their last seven PL visits to Stamford Bridge, they may be playing catch-up again come the close of play on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Stamford Bridge is the only ground not to have seen a goal scored in the opening 15 minutes of a PL game this season. So we can expect a game of few goals. The best bet, therefore, will be under 2.5 goals.
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