Chelsea v Aston Villa Prediction
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Chelsea v Aston Villa Prediction:
Saturday 31st December 2011, Barclays Premier League: 15:00
Author: Thomas Rooney 29/12/2011
Chelsea host Aston Villa this weekend hoping to pick up their first Premier League victory since the excellent 2-1 win over league leaders Manchester City earlier this month.
Following the victory over City, many talked up the Blues title chances, but Andre Villas-Boas’ men have drawn their last three games and are 11 points adrift of top spot as a result.
This is hugely frustrating for them. The 1-1 draw at Tottenham was a decent result, but failing to defeat Wigan and Fulham is unforgivable if you are to challenge for the title.
It has cancelled out the momentum from the win over City too. Stamford Bridge was rocking when the final whistle went in this one and it was seen as a turning point in their season, the game which propelled them back into the title race.
The three 1-1 draws have ensured this isn’t the case though. Villas-Boas has admitted that a title challenge is difficult and in many ways, they are back to square one. However, with a Champions League place at stake, they need to maintain their focus in the next few weeks.
January is likely to be a busy month for them too with transfer speculation and plenty of important fixtures. They mustn’t get too down about their title ambitions though and at the very least, ensure they consolidate their place in the top four.
Then, who knows, come March time they could still be in touch with the top two. For now though, their focus is on Aston Villa this weekend and finish 2011 on a high.
As for Villa, they have had a fairly average Christmas to say the least. Home defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool were followed by a 0-0 draw at Stoke to leave Alex McLeish’s men 12th in the Premier League.
They have injury problems too with Darren Bent and Emile Heskey on the sidelines and it is a difficult time for them right now with only one victory in their last seven games.
Things could get worse though. Ahead of this difficult trip to Chelsea, they are only five points above to relegation zone and could, in theory, drop as low as 15th if they lose on Saturday.
This can’t be the attitude going to Stamford Bridge though. They need to take heart from Fulham’s point against Chelsea on Boxing Day and go into the game with the belief that they can get something.
Chelsea are not as strong at home as they once were and Villa must make the most of their hosts’ more fragile mindset. A strong start for the away side and this could be a very interesting, closely fought game.
However, it isn’t too often Chelsea will go four games without a win, so they will get the job done in this one as both of these teams get ready to start a fresh in 2012 after a fairly average 2011.
Match bet: Chelsea on the Asian Handicap -1.5 @ 1.850 with Bet365 - (£200 free bets)
Correct score prediction: Chelsea 2:0 Aston Villa @ 7.4 with Betfair
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