Aston Villa v Cheslea – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Aston Villa host Chelsea in an FA Cup fifth-round replay on Wednesday night. The first meeting finished in a 0-0 draw and Unai Emery is aiming to help his side lift this trophy for the first time since 1987.

Aston Villa Form

Villa ended a three-match winless run by thrashing Sheffield United 5-0 away last time out. A ten-match unbeaten run was ended at Man Utd as they surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2. A 3-2 home league win over Burnley followed, before winning 1-0 at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.

Villa then drew 0-0 at Everton and 0-0 at Chelsea in the FA Cup as they defended solidly without creating enough chances. A surprise 3-1 home loss to Newcastle came next but they were free-flowing at Bramall Lane in a 5-0 win with six ‘big chances’ created.

Aston Villa Team News

Unai Emery remains without Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings due to long-term injuries. Lucas Digne is nearing a return, but this one may come too soon. John Duran is ruled out in attack to reduce options from the bench.

Douglas Luiz should be available after illness and Villa are hoping that Pau Torres can return for this match. Nicolo Zaniolo has a small muscle injury and is not set to play any part.

Aston Villa Motivation

Aston Villa will have every belief they can beat Chelsea. They will give full focus and attention to progressing to the next round.

Emery’s side could look to be solid and use counter-attacking as their main strategy, even at Villa Park.

Chelsea Form

Chelsea looked to be turning a corner, but two terrible performances have followed. They were on a streak of one loss in seven matches with league wins at home to Crystal Palace (2-1) and away at Luton Town (3-2) before a 1-0 home win over Fulham.

They thrashed Preston 4-0 in the FA Cup and reached the Carabao Cup final after beating Middlesbrough 6-1. They drew the first meeting in the FA Cup before being thrashed 4-1 at Liverpool with 28 shots allowed. Over the weekend, Wolves came to Stamford Bridge and won 4-2 as the Blues entered a slump.

Cheslea Team News

The Blues are without Reece James in defence and Levi Colwill is a major doubt. Mauricio Pochettino may be considering a move to a back three so Benoit Badiashile may be recalled.

In attack, Nicolas Jackson is pushing for a start after his return from the AFCON. Christopher Nkunku is back from injury but it’s not clear if he can start twice in five days. Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu are both injured in midfield.

Chelsea Motivation

Mauricio Pochettino needs a response after two poor results in the last week.

His side are expected to be quite defensive and focused fully on any sort of win. They need to be more solid after eight goals leaked in the last eight days.

Key Stats

Aston Villa have lost just twice in 16 matches

Aston Villa have won 16 of their last 18 home EPL matches

Chelsea have lost 6 of their last 7 away fixtures (1 win)

Chelsea have conceded 8 goals in their last 2 matches

Chelsea have won on 5 of their last 6 trips to Aston Villa

Verdict

This is set to be a very tense and tight match. One goal could prove the difference. Villa are in better form and are tipped to buck the recent trend of losing at home to Chelsea with a victory here.

Best Bet: Aston Villa win (90 minutes) at 2.15
Value Bet: Aston Villa win and Under 3.5 goals at 3.10

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis