With the race for the top four going down to the wire, Chelsea face a tricky trip to Villa Park for an English Premier League clash. Villa are likely to cause problems for Chelsea who are still expected to have the edge here.
Aston Villa earned a 2-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur in their previous Premier League fixture. They fought back from a goal down and benefitted from a Sergio Reguillon own goals before Ollie Watkins netted the winner.
Sitting four points off the top 10, the Villans are set to finish in the bottom half of the table. Their form has been erratic in recent weeks as they have claimed just three wins from their last nine matches.
Dean Smith’s men have also found things difficult at home in recent weeks as they are without a win in their last four matches at Villa Park. They were beaten 3-1 by Manchester City in that run and also suffered a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.
Chelsea got their revenge on Leicester City for their FA Cup defeat, claiming a 2-1 victory over the Foxes in their previous Premier League fixture. They took a two-goal lead through Antonio Rudiger and Jorginho and held on for the win despite conceding in the second half.
Having stumbled slightly in recent weeks, manager Thomas Tuchel will be pleased to see his team return to winning ways. The victory against Leicester City put them in pole position in a tight top four race and will secure Champions League qualification with another victory on Sunday.
Chelsea have looked somewhat fragile at the back in recent weeks and have conceded in their last four matches. However, they travel to Villa Park with four wins from their last five Premier League matches.
How the bookies view it
Chelsea are considered favourites among the bookies with a win for the Blues priced at 13/25 by Unibet. A victory for Aston Villa is valued at 31/5 by SBK while a draw is set at odds of 15/4 by bet365.
Given Aston Villa's recent struggles at home, I am backing Chelsea to earn the win on Sunday.
Head to head
Chelsea have a 60-51 advantage with 33 draws from 144 previous matches against Aston Villa. The reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge ended 1-1 while the Blues claimed a 2-1 victory on their last visit to Villa Park.
Players to watch
Ollie Watkins was on target last time out and has scored 14 goals this season. He could be worth keeping an eye on for Aston Villa with Paddy Power backing the striker at odds of 16/5 to score anytime while the first goal is priced at 10/1 by the same firm.
Chelsea striker Timo Werner will be hoping for some luck in front of goal and could be worth a punt in the anytime goalscorer market. He is priced at 6/4 by betway to score anytime while the same firm is offering 9/2 for the first goal.
Anything else catch the eye?
With neither side defending well in recent weeks, there are likely to be goals for both teams at 11/12 with SBK. Over 2.5 goals could be worth a punt at 13/17 by Sport Nation while over 3.5 goals is valued at 15/8 by BetVictor.
Chelsea could be backed to earn a win and over 2.5 goals at 6/5 with bet365 while both teams are likely to score in the second half at 12/5 with Skybet.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Chelsea will be played on May 23, 2021 and kick off at 16:00. 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.