Time is running out fast for Aston Villa in the Premier League. The drop is looming, and the Villains have to make up 12 points in seven fixtures if they want to save their status in the top flight. Chelsea though, still has slim hopes to get into the Champions League slot for next year, and we have to think it's going to be motivated to go on the road and take the three points on Saturday after the international break.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Aston Villa +500
Chelsea -200
Draw +335
Over/Under 2.5 (under -120)
ODDS ANALYSIS
It's tough to find anything to not like about Chelsea here. The Blues aren't quite in the dominant form they probably should've been in all season long, but they're playing like a team with Champions League aspirations, and on their 31st match day of the season, they draw the worst team in the EPL in Villa.
Aston Villa is just 2-4-9 at home this year and 3-7-21 overall, and that's why it is a woeful 5 to 1 to win this match outright. Chelsea is the -200 moneyline favorite and is getting the nod by a goal and a half on the Asian Handicap.
KEY INJURIES
It's tough to blame injuries when you've had a season which is this bad, but Aston Villa still has its share of problems. Jack Grealish and Libor Kozak are both out for this match, while Adama Traore is still a long-term absentee for the Villains.
Chelsea won't have Diego Costa in this match after he picked up a red card in the FA Cup against Everton. Eden Hazard is a question mark as well after he was taken off in the Champions League against PSG with a hip injury.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We've got to get a bit of a move on because we've got this period until the end of the season, we've got the close season, we don't want to leave any of these things or decisions late. We want to get moving while there's an opportunity to make changes, whichever division we're in. Whatever happens, there's work to be done, and the quicker we can do it, the better." – Aston Villa Director David Bernstein on the sweeping changes which have been and will continue to be made at Villa Park
RECENT FORM
Chelsea's chances of reaching the Top 4 took a big hit when it was last on the pitch on March 19. The Blues didn't deserve a thing, but they managed a point against West Ham in a 2-2 draw thanks to a late penalty. The Blues now have gone four straight matches across all competitions without a victory, and they've conceded at least one goal in 10 in a row.
Villa hasn't scored a goal in three straight matches, and it has been saddled with six straight losses since beating Norwich City at home in a match which could ultimately be the death of the Canaries as well.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Aston Villa has more or less been resigned to its fate. It's entirely possible that skipper Remi Garde could be dismissed before this soccer match ever takes place, and this comes on the heels of executives Tom Fox and Hendrik Almstadt leaving the club last week.
We do have a concern about Chelsea and its strikers. Yes, the team scored twice against West Ham last time out, but that was really a product of a productive midfield and a fortunate penalty, not anyone at the top. With Hazard in poor form and dealing with his hip problem and Costa sidelined by the FA, we could really see the Blues struggling here.
We'll take the goal and a half on the Asian Handicap, but we know that Villa has had a history of choking late on in these otherwise close affairs.
Chelsea 1, Aston Villa 0
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