Wounded Aston Villa are out to snap a two-game winless run in the English Premier League when they host Chelsea on Wednesday night.
Unai Emery’s charges were bundled out of the top three after their draw against Leeds was followed up by a shock defeat to bottom club Wolves. Villa are now in fourth place with 51 points, level with Manchester United in third.
They face a Chelsea side who are coming off a 2-1 defeat at leaders Arsenal – a first league defeat for new manager Liam Rosenior. The loss leaves them in sixth place with 45 points from 28 games.
Both sets of managers are desperate to turn things around and bounce back to winning ways. With the battle for the European spots heating up, we can expect a thrilling encounter here.
Which of these sides has what it takes to get all three points at Villa Park? We have a look at all key details of the match as well as offer our new predicted outcome.
What time does Aston Villa vs Chelsea start?
The game kicks off at 10:30PM E.A.T
Aston Villa vs Chelsea team news
Ollie Watkins continues to struggle in front of goal, with just two goals this year but the English forward is expected to retain his starting position.
Top scorer Morgan Rogers is also set to start despite his recent drought, with Leon Bailey and Emiliano Buendia occupying opposite flanks.
There is no change expected from the side that started in the defeat to Wolves at the weekend.
For the Blues, Wesley Fofana remains suspended and is now joined by Pedro Neto who was sent off against Arsenal. Alejandro Garnacho is the most likely candidate to take his place in the starting XI.
Enzo Fernandez is a doubt for the game with a slight injury concern and will be replaced by Andrey Santos in midfield alongside Moises Caicedo.
Aston Villa vs Chelsea head-to-head and current form
Both sides have won twice in their last five matches against each other – Villa winning 2-1 at Stamford Bridge when they met earlier in the season, courtesy of a Watkins brace.
That made it two in two against Chelsea, who last beat Villa in a 3-0 triumph in December 2024. There has only been one draw from this fixture in the last seven encounters.
Current form:
Aston Villa – LDLWD
Chelsea – LDWDW
Aston Villa vs Chelsea previous games
Aston Villa vs Chelsea prediction
With a place in the top four weighing heavy on both teams, we can expect potent attacking threat from both sides throughout the game.
Villa have only two wins in their last five matches at Villa Park and this will be a cause for concern against the Blues. This fixture always produces goals and we can expect the trend to continue here.
Each of the last five head-to-head encounters has produced over 2.5 goals.
Prediction – Over 2.5 goals – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!