Aston Villa vs Chelsea Predictions

• Chelsea are winless in six away trips, losing four of their previous five
• The Blues have failed to win half of their away trips this term despite a favourable schedule
• Villa have lost once in their last 14 home games

Issues mounting for Maresca

This is a troubling time for Chelsea, with manager Enzo Maresca receiving backlash from supporters over his recent comments before being handed the dreaded vote of confidence from the board.

Maresca’s claim that their FA Cup exit would allow them to focus on their Premier League run-in and Conference League campaign were not well received, especially after that focus brought a 3-0 loss at Brighton on Friday – just six days after their 2-1 cup defeat to the Seagulls.

A member of the Blues’ board has insisted that Maresca will last the season, but the fact that needed to be confirmed highlights the issues swirling around a manager who has beaten only Morecambe, West Ham and Wolves across his last 11 matches.

Villa fresh from strong display

Things aren’t getting any easier for Maresca this week, as they meet a Villa side who pushed the leaders to the limit on Wednesday. A 2-2 draw with Liverpool left Villa winless in five Premier League outings, but they have to be encouraged by the display against the runaway Reds.

The hosts head into this game with a fantastic record at Villa Park, having gone 13 unbeaten across all competitions following that midweek draw. Unai Emery’s side have only been beaten by Arsenal across their 14 home league games this term, while they took 10 points from a possible 12 in their Champions League home outings.

The hosts are led by in-form Ollie Watkins, who looks set to lead them to a strong finish now that Jhon Duran has departed and he’s no longer sharing striking duties with the Colombian. Watkins has scored in each of his last three at Villa Park and he should relish this encounter with an injury-hit Chelsea defence who have only shut out Morecambe since Christmas.

Struggling Blues are worth opposing

Maresca’s side have slid from title contention in December to sixth-place in the league thanks to injuries to Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia. The Blues’ have dipped defensively without the pair, but they’ve also had to drop deeper and play a more possession-focused game, which has led to some blunt attacking displays.

The visitors head into this one having lost three of their last four starts, while they’re winless in six on the road having lost four of their previous five trips. Things are likely to get worse for the visitors, as they’ve already faced each of the bottom nine sides in the division away from home, despite winning just half of their away games. They still have to visit five of the top eight plus Brentford.

Chelsea are also lightweight in attack with Nicolas Jackson out, so they’re worth opposing here. Villa do have issues when it comes to drawing too many matches following midweek games, but they’ve lost only two of their last 21 home league games over the last 12 months, so they appeal on the double chance market.