Aston Villa-Chelsea is a match valid for the 35th day of the Premier League and is played on Saturday at 9 pm: live TV, probable formations, predictions.
In the space of a few days Chelsea went from smashing six goals at Everton (6-0) to conceding five in the derby with Arsenal (5-0), seeing their already residual hopes of reaching sixth place fade.
In between there was also the defeat – narrowly this time – against Manchester City (1-0) in the FA Cup semifinal, which ousted the Blues from the only competition in which they could realistically lift a trophy and snatch qualification for the Europa League. They can still access it via the Premier League, where the last word is not said – Chelsea is six points behind sixth-placed Manchester United but also has a match to make up – as long as they do virtually nothing more wrong in the six games remaining to be played. The schedule, meanwhile, over the next few days is anything but soft: before recovering from the extra-city match with Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino’s men will travel to Villa Park in Birmingham, where they will face Aston Villa, currently the league’s fourth-strongest side and the number one favorite to win the Conference League (next Thursday’s semifinal first leg against Olympiacos of Greece is scheduled).
The Villans last Sunday recorded their second consecutive Premier League victory, downing Bournemouth with a comfortable 3-1 win, just three days after their affirmation over Lille after penalties in the Conference League. McGinn and his teammates are dueling with Tottenham for fourth place, which would mean Champions League football, and currently have seven points more than Spurs. A distance, however, that could be bridged by the Londoners if they win both matches they still have to make up.
The prediction
The heavy defeat to Arsenal could have repercussions on the heads of Chelsea’s players, who with only a few days left in the league have yet to find balance. Pochettino, meanwhile, hopes to have Palmer, absent in the derby, back: without his offensive contribution, the Blues are struggling much more. Aston Villa is favored in a match where the total goals will be at least two.
The likely lineups for Aston Villa-Chelsea
ASTON VILLA (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Digne; Bailey, Douglas Luiz, Tielemans, McGinn; Rogers; Watkins.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Disasi, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher; Madueke, Palmer, Sterling; Nicolas Jackson.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 3-1
