Chelsea’s top 4 hopes remain hanging by a thread as they enter the final game of the season with a must needed win to qualify for next seasons’ Champions League
Premier League 2020/21
Date : Sunday, 23 May 2021
Kick-off : 4 PM BST
Venue : Villa Park
There is never a day without any drama for Chelsea as they are one of the three sides along with Leicester City and Liverpool competing for the final two places for qualifying in next seasons Champions League.
Chelsea gained a slight advantage over their rivals by beating Leicester City 2-1 in midweek, jumping to 3rd place with 67 points and just a single point lead over 4th and 5th placed Leicester City and Liverpool who are at 66 points each respectively.
A victory over Aston Villa would see the Blues seal 3rd place which would be a massive achievement given that they were in 9th place by the end of January, and, also an upgrade on last season’s 4th place finish.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, are on the brink of a successful end to their Premier League campaign. The Villans sit comfortably at 11th place with 52 points, 24 points clear of relegation places.
The Villans would take a mid-table finish any day of the week after barely surviving from relegation last season. However, a win against Chelsea would be the cherry on top of the cake for Villa who have already defeated top sides like Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal.
Team News
Aston Villa
Ross Barkley (loan) will not be eligible to face his parent club Chelsea.
Matt Cash (hamstring) and Morgan Sanson (knee) remain ruled out.
Trezeguet remains a long-term absentee as he continues to recover from a terrible knee injury.
Chelsea
Andreas Christensen is set to return after recovering from a minor hamstring injury he suffered against Man City.
Kai Havertz and N’Golo Kante (both hamstring) will undergo late fitness tests to make the matchday squad.
Head to Head
Aston Villa – 12
Chelsea – 26
Draw – 13
Last meeting : Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa
Team Form
Aston Villa (last 5 PL games) : W/L/D/L/W
Chelsea (last 5 PL games) : W/W/W/L/W
Match Stats
• Aston Villa have won 15 PL matches this season, six more than last season (9). This is the biggest rise in victories in consecutive league seasons for Villa since they won 11 in 1994/95 and then 18 in 1995/96
• Ollie Watkins has scored 14 league goals for Aston Villa this season, the last English player to score more in a single top-flight campaign for the Villans was David Platt in 1990/91 (19).
• Aston Villa has lost their last 10 out of 12 Premier League meetings against Chelsea (W1 D1).
• Aston Villa haven’t won their final league game in any of the last 9 campaigns. However, the Villans are unbeaten when facing the Blues in the last game (W3 D1), most recently winning 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on the closing day of the 2001/02 season.
• Chelsea have lost their final league game in just one of their last 9 campaigns, going down 0-3 against Newcastle in 2017/18.
• Chelsea are unbeaten in each of their eight away league games under Thomas Tuchel (W6 D2), conceding just four goals in total and never more than once in a match.
Betting Preview
Chelsea have had the upper hand on Aston Villa in recent times with the Blues winning the last four out of five games against the Villans (D1). However, Aston Villa have performed brilliantly this season already defeating teams like Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal. The Villans will have an added advantage with the presence of supporters which will only make it harder for the Blues.
Aston Villa to win @6/1
Chelsea to win @1/2
Draw @15/4
Odds subject to change – 18+|BeGambleAware.org – Please gamble responsibly
