Chelsea vs Aston Villa Betting Tips

Chelsea have slipped out of the title race after recording just one win in their last five matches. Their opponents on Saturday, Aston Villa, have taken their place as the leading challengers to the top two.

Unai Emery’s side arrive on a 10-match winning run across all competitions, although that streak faces a serious test here, with Chelsea priced as odds-on favourites to claim all three points.

Premier League tipster Ben Smith has previewed the match and revealed his best bet.

Blues Fading From Title Picture

Chelsea showed resilience to earn a point away at Newcastle after going two goals down before half-time, but the draw still left them seven points adrift of third-placed Aston Villa. The Blues are now level on points with fifth-placed Liverpool, who have recovered some ground following a poor run earlier in the campaign.

Enzo Maresca’s side have taken seven points from a possible nine in league matches at home since the start of November. They also recorded an impressive home win against Barcelona during that period.

That said, Chelsea’s overall home record this season has been mixed. Defeats to Sunderland and Brighton have hurt their title ambitions and highlighted ongoing inconsistency.

Team news is positive in places, with Liam Delap and Estevao both available again. However, Saturday’s game comes too soon for midfielder Romeo Lavia, who remains sidelined.

Villa on the March

Everything appears to be falling Aston Villa’s way at the moment. Given how poorly they started the season, failing to score a Premier League goal until the second half of September, their current position is quite remarkable.

Much of their rise can be credited to Morgan Rogers, who produced two decisive moments on Sunday to guide Villa past Manchester United. That result kept them within a point of Manchester City and three of leaders Arsenal.

Villa have already beaten both of those sides this season, so coming away with a result at Stamford Bridge feels entirely realistic.

There is some disruption to the squad, with Evann Guessand away at AFCON. Aside from that, most attacking options remain available. Jadon Sancho cannot face his parent club on Saturday, though he was unlikely to play a major role regardless.

Chelsea vs Aston Villa H2H

Aston Villa endured real difficulties against Chelsea throughout the 2010s, managing just two wins while suffering 11 defeats across 15 meetings during that decade.

Their fortunes in this fixture have shifted in more recent seasons, however. The West Midlands side have won three and lost two of the last seven encounters.

The most recent meeting came at Villa Park in February and ended in a Villa victory. Chelsea had taken the lead through Enzo Fernández, but the hosts turned the game around thanks to a brace from Marco Asensio.

Our Chelsea vs Aston Villa Betting Tip

Morgan Rogers has scored four goals in his last two starts, and that output can’t be ignored.

Ben Smith has looked into the Premier League odds for this match and believes the England man is too big a price to register another goal contribution.

Rogers to Keep Rolling

Rogers scored his first Premier League brace in Villa’s 2-1 win away at Leeds United in November, a performance that kick-started an excellent run of eight goal contributions across seven starts. That sequence included his standout display against Manchester United last time out, which was arguably his most effective showing to date.

The underlying numbers highlight his current confidence. Rogers registered five shots against West Ham United, scoring twice, before attempting seven efforts while again finding the net twice last weekend.

His move to the left side of Villa’s front line has been key. He is far more involved than when operating as a central attacking midfielder, getting into shooting positions more frequently and seeing more of the ball in advanced areas.

More chances should come his way at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea’s only clean sheets this season have been against sides ranked outside the top six.

TIP: Morgan Rogers to Score or Assist - 7/4 with Betway.

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