Aston Villa v Chelsea

Two sides in the race for Top 5 and a Champions League spot but both have hit a spell of poor form. Can one side lift themselves back into the race?

Aston Villa v Chelsea – Villa Park 20:30 CET

Team News:

Kamara, McGinn, Tielemens and Elliott are unavailable for Villa.

Neto, Estavao, Gittens and Jorgensen are out for Chelsea. Cucurella is fit after injury but may not be risked here with FA Cup at weekend a more likely return date.

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Formations:

4-2-3-1 mainly this season for Villa. They can look more like a 4-4-2 as they are quite narrow. High defensive line, playing out from the back.

4-2-3-1 for Chelsea under Rosenior. Have looked a bit flat lately so may see either a formation or personnel change.

Statistics:

Referee: Jarred Gillett (Average Cards 4.03 Yellow 0.09 Red)

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Match Preview:

Villa are in 4^th in the Premier League. Their lead over todays rivals is down to 6 points. Home form is good with nine wins from their fourteen games. All competitions form reads badly as they have just one win in six with two draws and three losses.

Chelsea are three points behind Liverpool in the race for top five and UCL qualification. Away form is ok with six wins from their fourteen games. They too are not in the greatest form with two wins, two draws and two losses in recent matches.

Betting Preview:

Both teams stumbling along in poor form. Last match out Villa were dominated by bottom side Wolves and Chelsea were very passive in another loss to Arsenal. Neither side can afford any more losses as Liverpool and even Brentford are chasing them down. Take a draw in this high stakes contest.