Aston Villa are so close to securing a top-four Premier League finish against the odds and will be confident of securing another three precious points when demoralised Chelsea come calling.
Even though Villa finished last season strongly under Unai Emery, few people fancied them to push for a Champions League slot in this campaign. But they now find themselves sitting in fourth place and are favourites to see off the challenge of Tottenham Hotspur.
Although Spurs have two games in hand to overhaul a six-point deficit on Emery's side, their run-in is incredibly tough, with matches against all three title contenders still to come.
Aston Villa only have one team in the top eight still to face, with Liverpool visiting next month, but the danger is they could be distracted by a bid for Europa Conference League glory.
This clash with Chelsea comes before a visit from Olympiacos in the semi-finals, so Emery faces a balancing act to keep his side fresh for the fight on two fronts.
The good news is that Chelsea's season is effectively over and Mauricio Pochettino's side are in disarray after being battered 5-0 by Arsenal in midweek.
I thought that clash at the Emirates would be close but the Blues rolled over after falling 2-0 behind and now look unlikely to scrape a place in Europe next season, trailing in ninth place.
Having gone eight games unbeaten it's now two defeats in a row for Chelsea and their season is in danger of petering out.
How the bookies view it: Chelsea outsiders after Emirates flop
This match means a lot more to Aston Villa than it does to Chelsea so they are 5/4 favourites at William Hill. The Blues are 41/20 shots at BetMGM while the draw pays 35/12 with VBet.
Recent head to head: Blues looking for FA Cup repeat
Aston Villa won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge earlier in this Premier League season but Chelsea got their revenge in the FA Cup, winning 3-1 in the Midlands in a replay after a stalemate on the road. The Blues have an excellent recent record at Villa Park, winning on their last three visits.
Players to watch: Watkins out to punish leaky Chelsea defence
Ollie Watkins has arguably been the best centre-forward in the Premier League this season, with the Aston Villa star providing plenty of assists as well as goals. He set up two in Sunday's 3-1 win over Bournemouth and is 7/2 (Paddy Power) to be the provider again. The odds are shorter for another goal at 7/5 with LiveScoreBet.
Chelsea fans will be praying Cole Palmer is available after illness forced him to miss that Arsenal annihilation. With doubts over his involvement, it's better looking elsewhere for a Blues goal. Nicolas Jackson continues to misfire up front but Pochettino doesn't have any other options so he will lead the line again. The former Villarreal forward is 5/4 at SkyBet to either score or assist.
Probable lineups
Diego Carlos started on the bench for Villa at the weekend but should return to the line-up here with Ezri Konsa shifted back to right-back. Pochettino will make a late call on Palmer's fitness while right-back Malo Gusto could be missing again after injury saw him sit out the Arsenal loss.
Aston Villa: Martinez; Diego Carlos, Konsa, Digne, Torres; Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Tielemans; Rogers, Bailey, Watkins.
Chelsea: Petrovic; Disasi, Badiashile, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher, Fernandez; Mudryk, Sterling, Jackson.
Anything else catch the eye? Stats suggest goals at both ends
Aston Villa have been great value in the BTTS market all season, with that bet landing in five of their last six games. The same stat applies for over 2.5 goals so it's no great surprise that combing both those bets only pays 4/6 with Coral. Over 2.5 Villa goals is better value as that pays as big as 12/5 with William Hill.
Conor Gallagher is usually a threat from midfield and will try his best to get forward. The England international is 7/5 at Unibet just to have a shot on target and that looks decent value.
All three meetings so far this season have hit double figures for corners so backing a repeat could be wise. Over 10.5 corners pays evens at SkyBet while Paddy Power price the same bet at 17/20.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Chelsea will be played on Apr 27, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Aston Villa vs Chelsea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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