After a disappointing loss in the London Derby last weekend, Chelsea proceeds to host Aston Villa in their rough run of games. The match schedules for Monday at the Stamford Bridge with kickoff at 8:30 pm.
In contrast, Villa head into Stamford Bridge on the back of a 3-0 win at Crystal Palace, with Dean Smith’s side playing the second half down to ten men on Boxing Day.
Fresh from a resounding 3-0 victory over local rivals West Ham, Frank Lampard was full of expectations heading into the London Derby against a struggling Arsenal side. A win could have seen the Blues march the most successive triumph in a London Derby.
However, a penalty converted by Alexandre Lacazette, followed by a free-kick by Granit Xhaka, and a wonder goal by Saka proved the difference. Even a late minute equalizer by Tammy Abraham could not see off points shared.
The tempo was rising in the game’s final minutes as Mount picked a penalty after a foul by Pablo Mari. However, Jorginho failed to convert a penalty after a triumphant save by Bernd Leno. The loss marks three defeats in the last four games.
Dean Smith heads into the clash with hopes of extending their current run to four unbeaten matches on Boxing Day. The West Midlands derby was a show of Villa character with only ten men in the second half.
Chelsea vs. Aston Villa Head to Head
Both sides have 25 games against each other, with Chelsea takes home 15 wins while Villa has four wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
Chelsea 3-0 West Ham
Wolves 2-1 Chelsea
Everton 1-0 Chelsea
Chelsea 1-1 FC Krasnodar
Away
Aston Villa 3-0 Crystal Palace
West Brom 0-3 Aston Villa
Aston Villa 1-0 Burnley
Wolves 0-1 Aston Villa
West Ham 2-1 Aston Villa
Chelsea Team News
Reece James and Ben Chilwell both made the starting lineup overcoming previous injury doubts. However, the duo might get save ahead of the 48 hours in between games. Hakim Ziyech was ruled out of the Boxing Day start but could make his comeback here.
Aston Villa Team News
Mings will start his match suspension after picking a red card against Palace last weekend. It means that Ezri Konsa is set to get a recall in the heart of the defense. Ross Barkley is ineligible to play against his parent club.
Prediction and Odds
After their defeat at London Derby, the confidence for the Blues will skyrocket against the away side.
Draw
Both Teams to Score
Goals Over 2.5
