Premier League preview and odds: Chelsea vs. Aston Villa

Published on: 14/10/2015

Premier League preview and odds: Chelsea vs. Aston Villa

October 17, 2015 15:00pm Stamford Bridge

Premier League

Reigning Barclays Premier League champions Chelsea will once again try to kick-start their season when they welcome fellow strugglers Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

A must-win game for Mourinho

It was suggested a few weeks ago that talk of Chelsea`s demise was premature and that normal service would soon be resumed at the Bridge. However, with each passing week it seems that talk of a revival is now equally unwarranted.

Chelsea just cannot get their season going and there have been very few positive signs for Jose Mourinho`s men. With just one win in their last five games, it definitely feels like a rot has set in at the London club.

They entered the international break with a 1-3 loss at home to Southampton and now play host to an Aston Villa team that is currently enduring the worst spell of form of any side in the Premier League. Anything other than a victory in this game would be a disaster for the Blues.

Unsurprisingly, the crisis at Chelsea has brought the managers position into question with recent rumours linking Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone to the Chelsea hot seat. However, it appears that the Chelsea hierachy are sticking by their man for the time being. p>

Sherwoods inexperience on display

Aston Villa have been awful this season and have now lost four games in a row. Too often they have sat back in games and let other teams dominate possession only to fall behind and leave it too late to respond. Tim Sherwood may have a tactical plan but right now it is not working and Villa fans are looking for a reaction from their inexperienced boss.

In their first game of the season they snatched all three points away to Bournemouth but since then they have only picked up a single point and that came against fellow strugglers Sunderland. Last time out, they fell 0-1 to a Stoke side that has also found it hard to get going this season. That loss left the Villains stuck in the relegation zone four points from safety. Even a win away to Chelsea will not lift them out of the mire.

Team news

The home team are still without goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who has a knee injury and will be out until December. Meanwhile Branislav Ivanovic is expected to miss three more games as he recovers from a hamstring problem.

Villa are without Jores Okore and Craig Gardner, while Adama Traore and Gabriel Agbonlahor are both doubtful for this clash.

Recent form (League)

Chelsea: LDWLL

Aston Villa: LLLLD

Betting odds and tips

Despite their terrible form, Chelsea are massive favourites for this game. As bad as the Blues have been, Aston Villa have been worse and the gulf in quality between the squads is huge. As a result, there is little value to be had in backing a home win. The best price currently available is 7/20 with Sportingbet.

With nerves jangling for both sides, it should be a tight game, and the 17/2 on offer from Bet365 for a 2-1 scoreline offers decent value.

Published on: 14/10/2015

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (14/10/2015 11:58:29) but are subject to change.