Chelsea will look to record back-to-back home wins in the Premier League for the first time this season when they do battle with Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.
Following a pair of stalemates with both Manchester United and Arsenal, Enzo Maresca’s men got back up and running in the top-flight with a 2-1 win away at Leicester last Saturday, on an afternoon where two of my King Power plays clicked.
That triumph lifted Chelsea up to third place in the Premier League table, just one point behind out-of-sorts Man City.
The Blues will head into this clash off the back of a 2-0 win over Heidenheim in the Europa Conference League on Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa will look to turn around their slump in form after failing to win each of their last seven matches across all competitions.
Having said that, Unai Emery’s side will consider themselves unlucky to have drawn 0-0 with Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday night, in a game that brought up two of my Villa Park selections.
How the bookies view it: Blues to cruise to victory
Chelsea are odds-on 8/13 favourites with Kwiff to put Aston Villa to the sword at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon.
Aston Villa are as big as 10/3 on Kwiff to claim top honours, while an all square affair in the capital has been priced up at 16/5 with the same firm.
Head to head: Another stalemate in store?
Two of the four league and cup encounters between the pair last season ended with honours even, including the most recent meeting in April.
However, it’s worth noting that Aston Villa have emerged victorious from each of their last two visits to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
Players to watch: Cole due a goal?
Failing to strike in each of his last three Premier League games is something of a dry spell in front of goal by Cole Palmer's high standards. Look to the Chelsea talisman to either score or assist against Aston Villa on Sunday at 8/11 on UniBet.
Ollie Watkins ended his own three-game Premier League scoring drought against Crystal Palace last weekend. The Villa ace is 15/8 with Kwiff for an anytime strike at Stamford Bridge.
Predicted line-ups
Chelsea boss Maresca will almost certainly revert back to his strongest XI on Sunday after calling upon his second string in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night. Both Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto are available again after missing last week’s 2-1 win at Leicester.
Aston Villa again look set to be without injured duo Amadou Onana and Jacob Ramsey, however Ezri Konsa could come back into the side after being an unused substitute against Juventus in midweek.
Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucarella; Caicedo, Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Bailey, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins
Anything else catch the eye?
Youri Tielemans stands out to commit two or more fouls at Stamford Bridge on Sunday at 5/4 on Bet 365
The all-action Belgian midfielder has made a team-high 19 misdemeanours across his 12 top-flight outings this term, committing multiple fouls on seven occasions.
Tielemans has also fallen foul of the referee twice or more in two of his five Champions League appearances this season, giving away three free-kicks against Juventus on Wednesday night.
This English Premier League match between Chelsea and Aston Villa will be played on Dec 1, 2024 and kick off at 13:30. 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.
