Preview
Club football finally returns this weekend with Chelsea travelling to Birmingham to face Aston Villa.
Aston Villa are all but relegated from the Premier League after their side have played some of the poorest football ever seen in the Premier League era and many will expect Chelsea to win this weekend even despite our under performance this season.
Earlier this week Aston Villa parted company with Remi Garde which could have a negative effect for Chelsea. The Villans desperately need to get back on form to have any chance of pulling off a miracle and staying up. With a new manager in charge there will be extra motivation and an improved frame of mind amongst their squad which could help the home side in Saturday’s early kick off.
Villa Park holds great memories for Chelsea fans in recent years, especially after Frank Lampard scored a brace in 2013 in a 2-1 win which meant he became Chelsea’s all time leading goal scorer.
Chelsea have certainly missed a player of Lampard’s calibre this season, someone who consistently gets goals and earns his team points. Since Guus Hiddink’s arrival Diego Costa has certainly done this but he’s not somebody who can be relied on all the time with his injury troubles. However just before the international break Cesc Fabregas bagged a brace which helped Chelsea avoid defeat. Hopefully Fabregas can continue to play like he did vs West Ham and help Chelsea earn 3 points just like Lampard did.
Match Details
Saturday, 2nd April, kick off at 12:45 pm (UK Time) at Villa Park on BT Sport 1.
Recent Form
Aston Villa are in absolutely woeful form at the moment having lost 9 straight games on the bounce. Their last win came at home to Wycombe in an FA Cup replay on 19th January.
Chelsea have gone 4 games without a win with our last win coming against Norwich on the 1st March. In that time our season has also taken a massive blow after being knocked out of the Champions League and then the FA Cup.
Team News
This weekend is likely to come too soon for Eden Hazard however he may be back fit for the trip to Swansea next week. Various newspapers are also reporting that Radamel Falcao will finally return this weekend and could even feature at some point.
My Prediction
Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea
