Can Chelsea solidify their place in the top four? Ryan Elliott previews their clash with Aston Villa alongside an 18/5 tip.
Aston Villa is one of those games I’m struggling a little to find a solid angle on.
Villa, who were lucky to escape their encounter with Sheffield United on Wednesday with a draw, will be hoping for a surprise point (or three) against Champions League-chasing Chelsea, but it’s still unknown as to how Dean Smith’s men will respond to 90 minutes of football in their legs after so long out; a four-day turnaround doesn’t leave much time for recovery.
As for Chelsea, while it seems like they’ve held 4th place forever, I still don’t feel particularly confident in their ability to consistently string results together. Frank Lampard’s side have slightly exceeded expectations this campaign due to their transfer ban, but it’s still been a season riddled with inconsistencies.
Will Chelsea hit the ground running? Will Villa be a touch heavy-legged? These questions will be answered in time, but when looking for some value I think you can do a lot worse than a draw/Chelsea win in the half-time/full-time market at 18/5.
As both of Wednesday’s games proved, it takes a little time for these returning sides to find some rhythm, and I’m confident this’ll also be the case for Chelsea as they take to the pitch after such a long time out.
Chelsea and Villa have collectively gone into the break level on 18 occasions this season, and this is a positive omen for Sunday’s clash.
However, Chelsea have deeper reserves of quality (particularly with five subs at Frank Lampard’s disposal), and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Villa start flagging just a little bit as the second half wears on, which may well allow Chelsea to pick them off.
The previous meeting between these two ended 2-1 in Chelsea’s favour (with the score level at half-time), and 15/4 for a similar outcome seems just a little on the generous side.
