CHELSEA were finally starting to hit their stride under Graham Potter before the international break but their revival faces a tough test when in-form Aston Villa come calling in the Premier League.
After a horror run of just two wins in 12 games piled pressure on the new Blues boss, he bounced back off the ropes by claiming three victories and a draw in the four matches heading into the break.
The most significant triumph came against Dortmund in the Champions League as Potter's side inflicted Borussia's first defeat of 2023 and lined up a quarter-final clash with holders Real Madrid.
Having splashed so much cash on so many quality players, it was inevitable that Chelsea would start racking up a few victories but they also remain vulnerable, with Everton scoring a late leveller in their last clash at Stamford Bridge.
That won't have gone unnoticed by Unai Emery as he looks to continue moving Aston Villa in the right direction. Their form was every bit as impressive as Chelsea's heading into the break, with three wins and a draw banishing any lingering fears of being dragged back into the drop zone.
The Spaniard looks to be a shrewd appointment after the disappointment of Steven Gerrard's reign and he has the weapons at his disposal to hurt the Blues if Potter's side fail to hit top gear.
How the bookies view it
Chelsea are odds-on favourites with home advantage at a best 7/10 with SpreadEx while Aston Villa look a bit overpriced at 24/5 with SBK on recent form. The draw pays 29/10 with a number of firms.
Recent head to head
Chelsea have dominated this fixture in recent years and have lost just once in their last 12 with meetings with Aston Villa. That defeat was a 2-1 loss in the Midlands two years ago and you have to go back to 2011 for Villa's last win at Stamford Bridge. It ended in a 2-0 win for the Blues when they visited Villa Park earlier this season, with Mason Mount netting a double.
Players to watch
Kai Havertz scored for three games in a row before the break and will be looking to keep that run going. The German netted after I flagged him up for goal against Everton and he's 9/4 with Bet365 for another strike here.
It's hard to look past Oli Watkins for a Aston Villa goal with the striker scoring six times in his last eight outings. He will be fresh after failing to make the England squad and is 7/2 at Bet365 for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
Backing Chelsea corners salvaged something for me in their draw with Everton and they look decent value again in the corner handicap. Although Aston Villa racked up nine corners in their last match at home to Bournemouth, they collected just three in total across their last two away matches. So I'm on Chelsea -3 in the corner handicap for this one at 11/10 with Bet365.
Douglas Luiz will be at the heart of the midfield battle and the Brazilian is usually good value for a card. He has six yellows and a red so far this season and is 13/5 at Unibet for another card.
You have to go all the way back to October to find Aston Villa's last blank so we should see goals in this one. BTTS is 22/23 at SBK while over 2.5 goals pays 66/67 with the same firm.
This English Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa will be played on Apr 1, 2023 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Chelsea vs Aston Villa prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
