Chelsea vs Aston Villa Predictions

• Aston Villa are winless in their last seven games
• The visitors have lost their previous three away games
• Villa have lost all three league encounters with sides above them
• Palmer has scored 21 goals in his last 22 home league games

Fixture crunch a concern for Villa

Aston Villa head into this clash on the back of a seven-game winless run, which has come at a point when games are piling up for them. They navigated the Conference League last season through rotation, but the jump to the Champions League has made life tougher for Unai Emery’s side.

Despite the success we’ve seen from Emery at Villa Park, his side do have a habit of struggling when games pile up. Villa did beat City and Arsenal in early December last year, but they drew with Sheffield United, lost to Manchester United and barely snuck by Burnley after that, before dropping points in three of their first four games in 2024.

Villa also ended last season with just two wins in eight and they were unable to arrest their poor form even when their Champions League hopes were under threat. As we head into December, this Villa side looks overworked and short on ideas.

Rotation keeping Chelsea fresh

While Villa are flagging, Chelsea’s heavy investment has given them two sides to rotate between, and their second string won away to Heidenheim on Thursday night. Their starters moved into third place in the Premier League after a 2-1 victory at Leicester last weekend, so Enzo Maresca’s side are flying on all fronts.

The Blues have kept Cole Palmer sidelined in Europe, allowing the midfielder to focus on the Premier League. He’s been in fine form, especially at home. The former Man City man has scored five of his seven league goals at Stamford Bridge this season, so he’s always worth getting behind when he is at home.

Since the start of last season, Palmer has scored 21 goals in 22 home league games, so back him to trouble a Villa side who are struggling at the back.

Blues to take the points

Villa have lost each of their last three away games and they’ve failed to match the league’s top sides so far. They’ve lost all three clashes with sides above them this term, including a 4-1 loss to Tottenham and a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool in their previous two league trips.

Chelsea do need to improve their results at home, having won just twice this term. However, they struggled in clashes with Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, who sat back and frustrated them. The Blues have been more impressive against more ambitious opponents like Newcastle and Brighton.

Given Villa’s winless streak and their defensive concerns, take Chelsea to secure the points.