Chelsea v Aston Villa predictions: Blues could punish slow-starting visitors

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Chelsea v Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 5.30pm Saturday

Best bet

Chelsea-Chelsea double result
2pts 19-20 Coral, Ladbrokes

Team news

Chelsea
Reece James is suspended but Thiago Silva is available. N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic are out but Romelu Lukaku has been passed fit, while deadline-day signing Saul Niguez should be in the squad.

Aston Villa
Argentina's Emi Martinez and Emi Buendia are in quarantine and Morgan Sanson is out. Leon Bailey, Ezri Konsa and Bertrand Traore are all available but Trezeguet and Keinan Davis remain sidelined.

Match preview

Aston Villa took four points off Chelsea in the Premier League last season, beating the Blues 2-1 on the final day of term, but they are rightly considered double-figure odds for victory over the European champions at Stamford Bridge.

Both clubs showed their ambition in the transfer market as Villa invested shrewdly after the sale of Jack Grealish to Manchester City and Chelsea welcomed top-class additions Romelu Lukaku and Saul Niguez.

Neither team will be at full strength after the international break as Chelsea are missing the suspended Reece James, who was sent off in a 1-1 draw at Liverpool last time out, and the injured N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic although Thiago Silva, threatened with a Fifa ban after failing to travel to Brazil for a World Cup qualifier against Argentina, is now available.

Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez and attacking midfielder Emi Buendia did make that trip with Argentina but the game was abandoned due to a breach of Covid regulations and they are now in quarantine in Croatia.

Chelsea's enviable squad depth means it should be easier for them to cope with those absentees.

Villa boss Dean Smith, in contrast, has no like-for-like replacements for Martinez, who has been excellent since his arrival from Arsenal last summer, and former Norwich star Buendia, who scored his first goal for his new club in the 1-1 draw with Brentford.

Villa claimed a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge towards the end of the Frank Lampard era last season but Chelsea have been solid at home since Thomas Tuchel's appointment in January and they swatted aside Crystal Palace 3-0 in their opening game of the season.

That was followed by a straightforward 2-0 win at Arsenal where, as in the Palace game, they were two goals up by half-time, and they made another bright start at Anfield, taking a 22nd-minute lead through Kai Havertz.

Chelsea-Chelsea double-result backers were on course for another winning bet until James's goal-line handball was punished with a red card and a penalty, converted by Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, late in the first half.

They held out for a draw despite playing the second period with ten men at Anfield but a more expansive approach can be expected against a Villa side who have started games slowly this term.

They conceded in the first ten minutes at Watford on the opening weekend, when they were 2-0 down at half-time in a 3-2 defeat, and Ivan Toney gave Brentford a seventh-minute lead at Villa Park last time out.

Newcastle striker Callum Wilson missed a great chance in the first five minutes of their 2-0 defeat to Villa, who are likely to be punished by Tuchel's title contenders if they stumble out of the blocks at Stamford Bridge.

Key stat

Chelsea have kept eight clean sheets in 11 home Premier League matches under Thomas Tuchel.

Scouting report

Chelsea

Penalty taker Jorginho
Free-kick wizard Mason Mount
Aerial set-piece threat Antonio Rudiger
Card magnet Cesar Azpilicueta

Aston Villa

Penalty taker Anwar El Ghazi/Danny Ings
Free-kick wizard Bertrand Traore
Aerial set-piece threat Tyrone Mings
Card magnet John McGinn

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