Aston Villa vs Chelsea preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Aston Villa welcome Chelsea to Villa Park on Saturday as they look to solidify their league position for qualification into the Champions League next season. 

The Villains are having an incredible season, sitting in fourth place in the Premier League table. Their 66 points so far this season are the most they have accumulated in any top-flight season over the last ten years.

Unai Emery’s side are also flying high in Europe this season after securing qualification to the semifinals of the UEFA Conference League.

The likes of Manchester City, Arsenal Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester United, Brighton and Hove Albion, and West Ham United have all been eliminated at various stages of the respective European competitions, but Villa’s penalty shootout win over French side, Lille meant the Birmingham side are the only remaining Premier League side in any European competition this season.

In their last Premier League outing, the Villains equalled their record number of Premier League wins with a 3:1 win over Bournemouth to mark their 20th win of the season.

Dominic Solanke’s 31st-minute penalty gave the Cherries the lead before a brilliant strike at the stroke of halftime from Morgan Rogers drew the tie level heading into the interval.

Emery’s side had exhibited traits of fatigue after playing a pulsating 120 minutes of football against Lille, but they came out from the break to prove their determination towards securing a Champions League spot ahead of next season.

The Villains went ahead twelve minutes into the second-half through Moussa Diaby after a fine team move before Leon Bailey extended the lead to secure all three points for Villa who now sit six points clear of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth position.

They will be looking to make it three Premier League wins in a row when they face a depleted Chelsea side on Saturday.

After hopes of progress in League position and performance, the Blues still look the same as they were last season with the hopes of a European qualification getting blurry with each match.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side were completely clattered, butchered and decimated by their London rivals, Arsenal in a 5:0 demolition last Tuesday, marking their heaviest defeat in a London Derby since the 6-0 loss to Queens Park Rangers in March 1986.

The defeat also extended Chelsea’s abysmal away record in the League where they have won only two matches (Luton Town and Crystal Palace) in their last 12 away matches since November 2023.

Braces from former Chelsea star, Kai Havertz and Ben White and a first-half opener from Leandro Trossard gave the Gunners the bragging rights as London’s most dominant team in the past two seasons. The loss to Mikel Arteta’s side further dampened Chelsea’s hopes for Europa League qualification.

However, with just six matches remaining, hope for a spot in Europe next season is not completely lost as the Blues currently sit just three points adrift of Newcastle in seventh place.

Pochettino will look to avoid a third consecutive defeat across all competitions as it will not only scupper Chelsea’s European chances but also his position as head-coach of the club ahead of next season.

Aston Villa vs Chelsea match details

• Date: Saturday 27th April, 2024
• Location: Birmingham, England
• Venue: Villa Park
• Kick-off time: 19:00 UTC, 3 pm ET, 8 pm BST
• Referee: Craig Pawson
• Assistant referees: Nick Greenhalgh, and Steve Meredith
• Fourth official: Sam Barrott
• VAR: Chris Kavanagh
• Assistant VAR: Constantine Hatzidakis
• Tickets: Fans can still buy tickets from a ticket marketplace or through the club websites.

Match stats and head-to-head

• The Villains’ 71 Premier League goals this season is the most number of goals they have scored in a single campaign since scoring 71 in the 2007-08 season.

• Chelsea’s 3:1 win over Villa in the FA Cup fourth-round replay was Chelsea’s only victory over the Villains in the last four matches.

• There have been 165 matches played between these two sides with Chelsea holding the superior head-to-head with 69 wins against Villa’s 60 while 36 draws have been recorded in this fixture.

• The Villains have racked up 66 points in the League so far, surpassing their total points tally from each of their last 10 top-flight seasons.

•Ollie Watkins’ 19 League goals this season is the joint-most number of goals scored by any player for the Villains in a single Premier League campaign.

• Chelsea’s 57 conceded goals so far this season is the most they have conceded in a single Premier League campaign, surpassing their previous record of 55 goals in the 1994-95 and 1996-97 seasons respectively.

• Villa’s win over Bournemouth saw them win 20+ matches for the first time in a 38-game Premier League season. They will look to equal their most number of wins in a single season since winning 21 matches in a 42-game season during the 1992/93 campaign.

• The Blues have recorded only two victories in their last 11 away matches in the Premier League. They have drawn three and lost six in a run that stretches back to November 2023.

• Only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (23 goals in 2000-01 and 2001-02), Frank Lampard (22 goals in 2009-10) and Didier Drogba (29 goals in 2009-10) have scored more goals in a single Premier League campaign than Palmer’s 20 goals so far this season.

Team news

After missing the trip to North London on Tuesday due to illness, Cole Palmer will be assessed to determine his availability for the game against Villa on Saturday.

Robert Sanchez is also with illness while Levi Colwill is stepping up his recovery from a toe injury. Enzo Fernandez is set to miss out as he prepares to undergo groin surgery.

Christopher Nkunku returned to partial team training last week after suffering a lengthy thigh injury and the France International is tipped to return to action before the end of the season.

Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana remain Chelsea’s longest absentees with thigh and knee injuries respectively while club captain, Reece James and Lesley Ugochukwu remain sidelined with thigh injuries.

Malo Gusto did not make the travelling squad to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday and is undergoing treatment alongside Ben Chilwell with knee injuries respectively.

For Villa, Douglas Luiz will be in contention for a starting berth after missing the clashes against Arsenal and  Bournemouth through suspension.

Matty Cash will also be available for selection after recovering from a lengthy injury to feature in the last two matches for Emery’s side.

Tyrone Mings, Jacob Ramsey, Boubacar Kamara and Emi Buendia remain Villa’s long-term absentees while Alex Moreno will undergo a fitness assessment to determine his availability for the clash.

Predicted starting line-ups

Chelsea predicted starting lineup:

Petrovic; Disasi, Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella; Fernandez, Casadei; Gallagher, Madueke, Palmer; Jackson.

Aston Villa predicted starting lineup:

Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Lenglet, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans Douglas Luiz; Bailey, Watkins, Diaby.

Prediction

Villa are the much better team at the moment and will look to avoid consecutive defeats to Chelsea after being knocked out of the FA Cup fourth round earlier this season.

The Blues on the other hand are in desperate need of a win to inspire any hope of European qualification and Pochettino will prepare his squad for a strong performance against Emery’s flying Villa side.

Both teams are tipped to score and Chelsea are expected to dominate proceedings with Villa having the better chances.

We’re predicting a 2:2 draw.