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English Premier League: Chelsea vs Aston Villa Preview

With excitement building and anticipation growing ahead of kickoff, Premier League betting fans are already diving into the odds and assessing both teams, hoping to find the best value. For a detailed, in-depth look at the match, be sure to check out our full preview.

Tim Rickson
Tim Rickson

Last Updated: 2024-11-28

Chad Nagel

6 minutes read

Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa in action during the Premier League match

Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa in action during the Premier League match//Getty Images

Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea FC welcomes Unai Emery’s Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Sunday 1 December 2024.

Over their past four meetings, it’s been scored one apiece, with two draws, so their recent records against each other are completely even, setting the stage for a frosty affair on the first festive day of the year.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Chelsea Clear Favourites

  1. Home: 7/10 (1.73) – 57,8%

  2. Draw: 16/5 (4.20) – 23,8%

  3. Away: 33/10 (4.30) – 23,3%

  4. *Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change

Head-to-Head Record

Last Five Meetings

  1. 27/04/24: Aston Villa 2-2 Chelsea

  2. 07/02/24: Aston Villa 1-3 Chelsea

  3. 26/01/24: Chelsea 0-0 Aston Villa

  4. 24/09/23: Chelsea 0-1 Aston Villa

  5. 01/04/23: Chelsea 0-2 Aston Villa

Chelsea and Aston Villa have played each other 60 times since 1995, with Chelsea holding more than double the wins over Villa, with 31 victories compared to 14.

Chelsea: Current Form – DWDLWW

Chelsea have played some excellent football recently, but have been unlucky with results against the top teams not quite going their way.

At the time of writing, they are third in the EPL, which is where they should be after spending big in the summer, adding the likes of Jadon Sancho, Joao Felix, Tosin Adarabioyo, March Guiu, and more.

Their only two defeats have come from the league giants, Manchester City and Liverpool. However, draws at home to Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest were disappointing results for the Blues.

Key Players To Watch

Cole Palmer – Playmaker Palmer is a wizard at running with the ball and dribbling, and is able to create so much action through his advances and positive style of play. Its why he scooped up the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year 2023.

Moises Caicedo – The Ecuadorian defensive midfielder is a box-to-box workhorse, great at intercepting and passing. Last season, his pass completion rate was 90.9%.

Marc Cucurella – Left-back Cucurella is a Euros 2024 Cup winner and reliable starting lineup player for the Blues.

Chelsea Team News

Club captain Reece James is uncertain for selection having been nursing a hamstring injury.

Omari Kellyman is eyeing a return to action after suffering a serious hamstring injury and could make his senior debut before Christmas, but will be uncertain for this match.

Aston Villa: Current Form – LLLLDW

Villa’s form speaks for itself. At the time of writing, they haven’t won in any of their last five matches, however, due to their bright start, they are still positioned in the top table in eighth place.

They have conceded in all of their previous five matches, letting in a total of 10 goals. Since their October 2-0 win over Bologna in the Champions League, they have been on a terrible run of form.

Villa have won the same number of games as Chelsea, but have an additional loss, meaning they were one point apart in the league after 11 matches.

Another similarity with Chelsea is their equally busy transfer window dealings, signing Ross Barkley, Amadou Onana, Jaden Philogene, and Samuel Iling Junior and Enzo Barrenechea, both from Juventus.

Key Players To Watch

Ollie Watkins – Goal machine Ollie Watkins is known for being one of the best strikers in the league, with 64 goals for his club and five for his country in just 11 games.

John McGinn – Club captain John McGinn leads the team by example and has played over 200 games for Villa, as well as over 70 for Scotland.

Tyrone Mings – Defender Mings has been at the club for over five years now, so is a solid starting lineup player, who occasionally pops up with a goal.

Aston Villa Team News

Villa have been boosted by Morgan Rogers signing a long-term contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2030.

21-year-old striker, Louie Barry, currently out on loan to Stockport County, is attracting the attention of Leicester and Spurs, although Unai Emery was looking to recall the youngster to the squad.

Defenders Konsa and Torres have injury concerns, as well as midfielder Onana. However, they welcome the return of Boubacar Kamara, back from a 14-month layoff.

Predicted Line-Ups

  1. Chelsea: 4-2-3-1: Sanchez; Cucurella, Fofana, Colwill, Gusto; Lavia, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson.

  2. Villa: 4-2-3-1: Martinez; Kamara, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey;Watkins

Suggested Bets

If you love betting on football, here are some bets you can place at some of the popular sportsbooks.

  1. Both Teams to Score: With both teams being in the top half of the table, there’s a strong chance we could see goals at both ends of the pitch. (13/25 with Betway) (15/10 with 1Win)

  2. 2nd Half – Both Teams to Score: Big games often tend to open up later, increasing the chances of both sides scoring in the second half. This bet appears to offer more value and could be worthwhile. (8/1 with Betway) (149/100 with 1Win)

  3. Over 2.5 Goals: With both Chelsea and Villa averaging over 1.5 goals per game, at the time of writing, then this looks like a good option for betting. (5/10 with Betway) (12/25 with 1Win)

Value Bets

  1. Cole Palmer – Anytime Goalscorer: As Chelsea’s current top scorer, with seven goals in 11 games, Palmer to score anytime in the match is worth a punt. (6/25 with 1Win)

  2. Ollie Watkins– Anytime Goalscorer: As one of the best strikers in the league, Watkins can score anywhere and anytime. (2/1 with 1Win)

  3. First Team to Score – Chelsea: As the home team with the slightly better record and form, Chelsea are likelier to take the lead. (49/100 with 1Win)

Prediction: Chelsea to Win in a Close Match

Chelsea has the home advantage and will be reassured that Aston Villa has only scored one goal in their last three away games. Chelsea have scored in all three of their last matches, including the 8-0 drubbing against overmatched FC Noah.

Villa have scored 17 for and 17 against, only six other teams have let in more goals. Chelsea have scored 21 and let in 13, so their goal difference is a lot healthier than the visitors. Plus, with Villa’s injury woes, they could be weakened at the back.

The hosts’ better form, goalscoring record, home advantage and momentum should be enough to come through this fixture with either a win or a draw. Villa’s latest results and goalscoring record doesn’t quite inspire confidence, but they haven’t lost in their last three visits to the Bridge, so they will be tough to beat.

So closely matched are these teams that it could just come down to fine margins on the day or whoever makes the first mistake, but whatever happens, it’s going to be a real war of attrition between two top English teams.

Tim Rickson
Tim RicksonSports Writer

Tim has over 27 years experience within the sports industry, working for football clubs Arsenal FC and Millwall FC, and boxing news websites British Boxing News, Boxing Social and Global Boxing News. His boxing articles have been published in Boxing News Magazine, national newspapers, plus many other major news outlets.