Chelsea vs Aston Villa Predictions

• Chelsea have won seven and drawn two of their last nine home matches.
• Aston Villa have only won five of their last 13 away games.
• Cole Palmer has scored five goals in his last five appearances.

Improving Blues target cups

Chelsea booked their ticket to Wembley with a 6-1 demolition of Middlesbrough in midweek and they will look to keep their hopes of a cup double alive when they host Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday.

After a below par start to life under Mauricio Pochettino, the Blues have upped their game in recent weeks and their home form in particular has been impressive. They are unbeaten in nine competitive games at Stamford Bridge, winning seven of them and scoring 25 goals in the process.

Emery contemplates rotation

Visitors Aston Villa are no pushovers and remain in the top four in the Premier League, but Unai Emery could be tempted to rotate his squad as he prepares for the return of continental football.

He fielded a weakened team in their 1-0 win at the Riverside in the third round of the FA Cup and their record on the road hasn’t been particularly impressive even with a full-strength team.

Palmer can guide Blues to victory

The Villans have won five, drawn four and lost four of their last 13 competitive trips and could come unstuck against an improving Chelsea side here.

They have scored in ten of these 13 away games, though, and Chelsea have scored exactly twice in four of their last nine at home, making a 2-1 correct score prediction an appealing option.

Cole Palmer also stands out as an anytime goalscorer prospect after continuing his purple patch against Boro. The 21-year-old has now scored 12 goals in 23 appearances for his new club and he has netted five of these in his last five outings.

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