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Last placed Aston Villa takes on Chelsea in an early Saturday Premier League clash, with neither team having much left to fight for this season.
Aston Villa’s recent poor results mean that the hosts now need to recover a 12 point difference if they want to stay up, something which is pretty much impossible, especially considering the way they play. Villa gained just 16 points in 31 matches this season and it seems they have given up recently. Villa is on the back of a 1-0 defeat at Swansea, their 6th loss in the row and the 8th defeat in the last 9 matches.
Chelsea is on the 10th place in the standings and hasn`t played well lately either. Chelsea hasn`t won any of the last 4 matches in all competitions, a run which saw them claim 2 Premier League draws and get knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League. There`s still a tiny chance for Chelsea to play Europa League football next season, but clearly the objective now is to assess the players and get the team ready for next season. The Blues are on the back of a 2-2 home draw against West Ham.
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Team news & lineups:
Agbonlahor and Amavi are out for Villa, while Richards and Kozak might also end up being ruled out of the lineup. Chelsea has some problems up front, with Costa, Falcao and Hazard all unavailable. Zouma is also out.
Aston Villa: Guzan – Hutton, Richards, Lescott, Cissokho – Veretout, Westwood, Gueye, Gil – Ayew, Gestede
Chelsea: Courtois – Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta – Mikel, Fabregas – Willian, Oscar, Pedro – Traore (Remy)
Results have not gone Chelsea’s way recently, but they had a difficult schedule and did not play all that bad. They clearly improved since Hiddink took over and the International break might end up being a very good thing for Chelsea, who can now start fresh and play without pressure. Of course, we can`t know for sure how the players will treat these last 8 rounds, but chances are they will be professional about it.
While I don`t expect a world class performance from Chelsea here, Villa is so poor that you just can’t look any other way than a visiting win. The fact that the hosts have only one option, to go for a win, should make things easier for Chelsea, who won’t have to struggle against an ultra crowded defense.
A bet on Chelsea to win straight up is rated at about 1.60, which is not bad at all. However, I will go one step up and my tip is Chelsea to win with a 1 goal asian handicap. Villa is unlikely to snatch points against any Premier League opponent right now, let alone against a team like Chelsea – which, for all its faults, still has quality in its ranks and plays decent football. Prediction: Aston Villa – Chelsea 0-2.
Pick: Chelsea (-1 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 2.08 @ 18Bet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 8.64
Event date: 2 April
