Aston Villa v Chelsea: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Both Aston Villa and Chelsea are in the hunt for European football, specifically the UEFA Champions League places, but they head into their meeting on Saturday off the back of contrasting results.

While Villa gave an excellent account of themselves in their 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Wednesday, Chelsea's last league fixture ended in a 3-0 defeat to Brighton.

With both sides missing key personnel, it sets up an intriguing clash at Villa Park on Saturday evening.

Aston Villa v Chelsea betting tips and predictions

Aston Villa draw no bet - 5/6

Enzo Maresca did not hide his frustration following Chelsea's 3-0 defeat to Brighton last time out, describing the performance as the club's "worst" since he took charge.

Chelsea looked particularly blunt against the Seagulls, failing to steer a shot on target for the first time since September 2021, while their expected goals figure of 0.54 was their worst of the season.

As Maresca pointed out, the absence of Nicolas Jackson did not help matters and the club's first-choice striker is expected to miss out again this weekend.

Cole Palmer has also been flagging, failing to score or assist in his last five appearances.

Even if Chelsea find their shooting boots at Villa Park, they do not make an appeal in the betting.

They have won just three of their last 10 games in all competitions, with all of those victories coming at Stamford Bridge, including one against lower-league Morecambe in the FA Cup.

Since Boxing Day, they have lost to Fulham, Ipswich Town and Manchester City before successive defeats to Brighton, so Villa should sniff blood.

Punters should be wary of the fact Villa have drawn seven of their 14 home games in the league but they still look the more likely to win after their stirring performance against Liverpool.

With that in mind, back Unai Emery's side in the draw no bet market.

Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals - 8/11

Some punters may anticipate a low-scoring game given Chelsea's struggles in front of goal last time out but Maresca will not stand for any repeat against Villa.

And with Axel Disasi unable to face his parent club, Villa's options at the back are limited so there could still be goals in this contest.

Both teams have scored in 18 of Chelsea's 25 league games this term and in 18 of Aston Villa's 26 contests and that is worth combining with over 2.5 goals for a secondary bet.

Ollie Watkins to score at any time - 11/8

Ollie Watkins remains Aston Villa's main man up top and he has continued to impress following the January departure of Jhon Duran.

Watkins has found the net in back-to-back games for the Midlands club, scoring in the draws with Ipswich and Liverpool, and he is overpriced to net against Chelsea.

He has struck 12 goals and laid on five assists in 26 league appearances this term and knows how to perform when it counts.

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Aston Villa v Chelsea odds

Aston Villa - 13/8
Draw - 12/5
Chelsea - 8/5

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.